Syllabus

February 28, 2014 7:48 AM

To the chief counsel of the Idaho State Legislature:

In light of the bill permitting guns on our state’s college and university campuses, which is likely to be approved by the state House of Representatives in the coming days, I have a matter of practical concern that I hope you can help with: When may I shoot a student?
posted by four panels (14 comments total)

"The occasional horrific civilian massacre is just the price the rest of us have to pay."
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:00 AM on February 28, 2014

My current students have grown up learning responsible weapon use through virtual training available on the Xbox and PlayStation. Far from being enamored of violence, many studies have shown, they are numb to it.

If you're going to regurgitate this long-discredited talking point and attempt to fortify it with a hand-waving and flatly false "many studies have shown", I'm not sure why I should credit anything else you have to say.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:02 AM on February 28, 2014

I enjoyed this in the sense that we have had several shootings on my campus and I hate guns but now wonder how universities in these jurisdictions are actually going to be answering these questions, which the procedural finickiness of universities pretty much demands in an utterly unironic way. There will be a committee, and there will be a set of policies and procedures for deadly force, and faculty will be forced to learn these things because that's how the fucking university works now.

As satire, it was too close to that actuality to enjoy. Swiftian satire is only funny when no one is actually eating babies.
posted by anotherpanacea at 8:03 AM on February 28, 2014

I'm not sure why I should credit else you have to say.

I think you're missing a hefty dose of tongue-in-cheek. He also makes reference to not feeling outgunned by pencils because he always carries a pen.

That said, allowing guns everywhere because freedom is beyond absurd.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 8:06 AM on February 28, 2014 [4 favorites]

I would submit that a gun you aren't allowed to use for its intended purpose of shooting people is effectively the same as no gun at all. And thus various laws that criminalize shooting people - without even the slightest regard to whether those people need shooting, mind you - are unconstitutional infringements on our second amendment rights.

And really, the first as well. For what is shooting someone if not the ultimate form of political speech?
posted by Naberius at 8:07 AM on February 28, 2014 [4 favorites]

from article: “My current students have grown up learning responsible weapon use through virtual training available on the Xbox and PlayStation. Far from being enamored of violence, many studies have shown, they are numb to it.”

Inspector.Gadget: “If you're going to regurgitate this long-discredited talking point and attempt to fortify it with a hand-waving and flatly false ‘many studies have shown’, I'm not sure why I should credit anything else you have to say.”

Really? You're going to argue that it's been "long-discredited" that video games don't make kids "enamored of violence"?
posted by koeselitz at 8:07 AM on February 28, 2014

I'm not sure why I should credit anything else you have to say.

Yeah, if you read this and get mad that videogames are being unfairly maligned, well, I think "missing the point" is an understatement.
posted by kiltedtaco at 8:08 AM on February 28, 2014 [4 favorites]

Absolutely. Ars Technica did an excellent piece on that year summing up the existing research, and there was a lengthy discussion about it here on the blue. The short answer is that there is no clear-cut effect and the usual think-of-the-children types are generating far more heat than light.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 8:10 AM on February 28, 2014

Boise State President Says Guns On Campus Bill Solves A Problem That Doesn't Exist

"The overwhelming majority who have reached out to me are saying they're concerned about the day when students can arm themselves and come into my classroom." - Boise State University President Bob Kustra

More Than 200 Idaho Students, Faculty Rally Against Guns On Campus

This falls into the "gun free zone" myth that gun-rights advocates like to promote. The theory is, gun violence wouldn't happen if gun-free zones did not exist and the victims of mass-shootings had guns with which to defend themselves.
posted by zarq at 8:10 AM on February 28, 2014

Inspector.Gadget: “Absolutely. Ars Technica did an excellent piece on that year summing up the existing research, and there was a lengthy discussion about it here on the blue. The short answer is that there is no clear-cut effect and the usual think-of-the-children types are generating far more heat than light.”

Really? Once again, you're going to argue that video games make kids like violence?
posted by koeselitz at 8:11 AM on February 28, 2014

(I think you've missed negative both in my comment and in this article.)
posted by koeselitz at 8:12 AM on February 28, 2014

Fantastic piece. I really, honestly thing we would be so much better off if the country banned all guns tomorrow.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:12 AM on February 28, 2014 [1 favorite]

Also, it's pretty clear that that remark was far from serious.
posted by koeselitz at 8:13 AM on February 28, 2014

Well it's a good thing they don't allow guns on Metafilter. Yet.
posted by swift at 8:15 AM on February 28, 2014