PROTECTING COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA:

To prevent school shootings, some South Carolina legislators want more guns on campuses.

A House subcommittee approved a measure Wednesday that would allow concealed weapon permit holders to carry guns onto public school campuses, from elementary schools to universities. Supporters say having trained and armed gun owners in schools could prevent massacres like the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech, where one armed student killed 32 people.

Only Utah currently has a law allowing concealed weapons on campuses.

“We’re not talking about kids. We’re talking about responsible adults,” said Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan, who sponsored the bill. . . . To obtain a concealed weapon permit in South Carolina, a resident must be at least 21, undergo at least eight hours of handgun training, and pass criminal and mental background checks.

Objectors say that right now, “we know the person with the weapon is the bad guy.” But isn’t that, you know, the problem?

UPDATE: Some related thoughts from David Hogberg.