Campus guns discussed

Guns on a school campus once seemed like the unimaginable, but now seems more common after Tuesday's melee at a Houston campus, which involved a shooting that injured three.

Tuesday's incident and other recent school shootings as well as gun control were topics of discussion for Eastern New Mexico University students as they wondered about a possible active shooter situation on their own campus.

"It's not the gun actually killing the people, it's the mental condition of the people holding the guns" said Bryan Harris, a freshman from Lubbock.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Eastern New Mexico University students Bryan Harris, left, Kevin Krum, center, and Sean Kirsch talk about the hot button issue of gun control Tuesday on campus after getting word of school shooting in Houston.

Harris sat with his friends at a table in the College Union Building on campus talking about how recent shootings in the U.S. have affected them and their opinions on gun control.

"During Sandy Hook, I was extremely worried," said Sean Kirsch, a junior from Albuquerque. "I have a niece that that age, it was devastating."

Kirsch believes that making guns illegal is not the solution to prevent mass shootings or more casualties. He compared eliminating guns to the prohibition of alcohol, and suggested that if guns were made illegal, crime would shoot up.

Kirsch feels mental health and reform should be on the chopping block for discussion.

"The people who commit these crimes don't fully understand the repercussions," Kirsch said. "The people that are conducting these mass shootings are not ones who take conceal and carry courses."

"It's not like criminals obey the law already," Harris added.

It's university policy that ENMU's campus is a gun free zone, according to ENMU Police Chief Brad Mauldin.

But Kirsch feels that if students who legally own gun and are responsible were allowed to conceal and carry on campus, the chances of a possible mass shooting having multiple casualties would be small.

"If students take the time to take the conceal and carry classes, they should be able to exercise their right to conceal and carry," Kirsch said.

Stephanie Muller and her group of friends also discussed the reality of a shooter on campus. Muller, a freshman from Albuquerque, said she was used to hearing about fake threats of a shooter in high school.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Eastern New Mexico University student Stephanie Miller, right, talks with her friends about the possibility of an active shooter on campus after Tuesday's school shooting in Houston. Also pictured are Katie Easter, left, and Karina Dozal.

"The people doing this obviously have mental issues," Muller said of previous mass shootings. "I think them wanting to control weapons will only work for people willing to work with the government."

Muller and her friends agreed they feel relatively safe on ENMU's campus and said they would exercise caution if they heard word of a shooter on campus, but wouldn't necessarily change their behavior.

"I'm sure there are people who own guns on campus but I feel safe," said Karina Dozal, a freshman from Dimmitt, Texas.

Dozal says background checks on people who purchase guns is a sensible solution the problem as well as increased security in schools.

Mauldin has held active shooter trainings on campus for faculty and staff, as part of university's emergency management plan.

He says he can't give advice on what to do because active shooter situations have to be responded to on a case-by-case basis.

"As the situation comes up, it would be rapidly evolving," Mauldin said.

His primary concern would be to alert students and faculty about a possible situation. Mauldin says they use text message alerts as well as a public address system to alert the campus community in emergency situations.

Mauldin says he knows you can't predict an active shooter situation on campus, but he says the workshops will help.

"We will continue to conduct trainings and take a proactive stance on it," Mauldin said. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The time to train your personnel is not after a major incident has happened."

He added that there is also an early identification team on campus that helps campus law enforcement identify individuals in potential need of service.

If students or faculty are concerned about an individual, they are encouraged to contact school administration and police to leave tips. They can contact police if they've heard someone make comments about bringing weapons to school or if they feel the individual is a threat to themselves or others.

Mauldin said those who contact officials with tips would remain anonymous.