"The philosophical foundation for the Second Amendment is the right to self-defense, and our right to protect ourselves and others from criminal violence is no different at a university than it is at a gas station, supermarket, or coffee shop."

That's the whole thing right there. If you carry to your kid's soccer game, your grocery run, your morning coffee — you're already making the judgment call that you're responsible enough to do it safely. The campus gate doesn't change your training, your temperament, or your permit status.

"What has materialized is a legal framework where a 22-year-old with a valid carry permit — who can legally carry everywhere else in the state — loses that right the moment they step onto a public university campus."

Utah has had campus carry for years and the "blood in the hallways" crowd has nothing to point to. That's not an opinion — that's a track record. At some point the burden of proof shifts to the people defending the restriction, not the ones questioning it.

The Louisiana situation is worth paying attention to — a bill dying because the students who asked for it didn't show up to testify is the kind of thing that sets a movement back more than outright opposition does. If you want the legislature to act, you show up.

For those of you who carry daily — how do you handle the campuses, hospitals, or other posted buildings in your regular routine, and has that ever actually changed how you planned your day?

Read the full article in The Handbook → | By Steve Duskett