Rebutting Rick Diguette's AJC Campus Carry Dissent © 2016 by Phillip Evans

I'd like to address some of the statements made by Rick Diguette in his "Will guns on campus scare away high school students and their parents?" AJC article.

"Knowing that some classmates and/or professors have armed themselves suggests, at least subliminally, that a violent attack is always a clear and present danger."

At first glance it appears as though Mr. Diguette gets the point of being armed. We arm ourselves because in the real world, even in places like college campuses, we understand that an evil person intent on murder can get in and do a lot of damage before police get there.

A violent attack is always a clear and present danger anywhere people go. Just because a place seems like a nice, peaceful place does not endow it with any sort of invisible force-field against criminal entrants.

"It also suggests that the trained security personnel employed by the college are inadequately prepared to deal with emergencies."

Where has Mr. Diguette been the last few years? Hasn't he seen how even the best response times of law-enforcement leave multiple dead bodies piling up before good guys with guns and badges stop the criminal(s)?

Does anyone believe that hired security personnel, many of whom are unarmed at some colleges, are going to do any better?

Having the ability to effectively fight back against armed murderers turns potential victims into their own best first responders. Any time you have to call someone else to rescue you, there is precious time spent waiting for that help to arrive. In the meantime, innocent people die while they are hiding, running, or trying to throw chalk erasers and books at their armed attackers.

"If students are always worried that an armed and dangerous individual might at any moment appear at their classroom door, their ability to maintain focus and learn is bound to be compromised."

And somehow forbidding adult licensed-to-carry students from having the means to protect themselves is supposed to ease this concern? Really?

Let it become public knowledge that a particular college is not such an easy target due to potential victims themselves being armed with firearms, and criminals wanting to go out in a blaze of glory with a high body count will seek a different hunting ground.

"It is also quite likely that professors and students would be less willing to address controversial issues in the classroom."

Do the ten other states with legal campus carry have this problem? Remember, some of these colleges have had legal weapons carry for decades. This is merely more fear-mongering, which naturally comes from fear-mongerers.

"While there have been a number of deadly incidents on college campuses in recent years involving armed and dangerous individuals, I don’t think they warrant the intrusion of guns in our college classrooms."

Well, it seems like Mr. Diguette is thoroughly satisfied that current campus security measures do not need to be beefed up with vetted students and faculty being able to secure the safety of their own lives. Imagine, the "intrusion" of self-defense!

I predict that the fear-mongerers will have their prophecies once again proved false, and that enrollment in Georgia's public colleges and universities will be as healthy as ever after HB 859 becomes law, which it likely will, due to Governor Deal recently voicing his approval of Campus Carry.

Good for you, Governor! And great for Georgia!