School: Concealed Campus Empty Holster Protest

If there's one thing the Virginia Tech massacre (as well as other sundry rapes, robberies, and murders) should have taught the country, it's that no law will stop a deranged criminal from attacking innocent people. The unpleasant reality is that many state laws, even in states with CCW programs, prohibit lawful concealed carry on campus, meaning that a student is faced with a Hobson's choice between following the law or being able to prevent another mass shooting.

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (ConcealedCampus.org) are holding a nationwide empty holster protest this week, which I joined in on. This isn't a new idea, obviously:



The great irony here is that taking along one of my empty CCW holsters would be pointless, since no one could see it anyway. I actually wrangled a BlackHawk Omega thigh holster and wore it to school, which provoked some good discussions about what was strapped to my leg and what I was saying. I'm not sure I changed any minds, but it feels good to at least be doing something.

Unfortunately, a lot of college students seem to check their critical thinking skills at the door, my fellow law students included. People seem to object to other people carrying guns, or even the idea of "guns on campus," but if someone attacks you at 2 AM in your dorm, and you call the cops, guess what you're doing? That's right, you're summoning men with guns to take care of the problem. I'm not sure why someone would want to outsource their personal safety to strangers, especially when there's hard data that folks who legally carry guns are much less likely to commit crime. Thankfully, laws (and attitudes) can change.