TTAG reader CW writes:
As a faculty member at a college, I read the chroniclevitae.com daily to see what is going on in the world of academia. Gun issues have been upfront and personal in recent weeks; the University of Texas campus carry bill and the UCC shooting have spurred a spate of articles relating to firearms. Armed and Educated provides a good cross section of the opinions and the styles of argument used in the firearms-on-campus debate. Apparently some of the authors think that they’ll be required to carry a firearm in class, which doesn’t do much for their credibility. Also of interest . . .
are the emotions, feelings, and head-in-the-sandism of several of the authors. James M. Lang, professor of English, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence Assumption College, exemplifies the breed.
I still have no sympathy for the Second Amendment and other principles of our political and legal system that enable wide gun ownership in America, and would love to see them repealed. At the same time, I recognize that they are the laws of my land, and that those laws extend to the campuses of public universities. I would not endorse a push by public colleges and universities to distance or exempt themselves from other social legislation, such as laws governing hiring practices or sexual assault. But I also would not teach in a classroom that contained a gun — nor do I believe that any college professor should have to do so . . .
So while I recognize that the law may allow guns in classrooms, I would never allow them in my classroom.
I’m not exactly sure how Professor Lang thinks he’d be able to enforce that. The mind boggles.