Federal Judge Orders Tarrant County College to Allow a Protest in Support of Concealed Carry on Campus
FORT WORTH — A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Friday allowing two Tarrant County College students to stage their “empty holster” protest at the community college campuses.
U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means said in his ruling that Clayton Smith and John Schwertz Jr., who attend TCC Northeast Campus in Hurst, can wear empty gun holsters and hand out fliers in “public-forum areas including, but not limited to, public streets, sidewalks, and common or park areas.” TCC wanted to restrict the protest to a small designated area.
But the students cannot wear their holsters in classrooms or hallways. They are protesting for the right of licensed gun owners to carry concealed handguns on college campuses.
You know, it is kind of ridiculous that administrators are in fear of an empty holster. I can not see how this could be any kind of disruption in actual learning, and it might open up discussion between the opposing view points. If the college administrators had just done this to begin with, this protest probably would have gone by without notice. Many people call college campuses bastions of free speech. Unfortunately, to many colleges are actually bastions of approved speech. If the campus administration does not like what is being said, they will shut it down.
A little information about the firearm (and the ammunition available in the USA) used in the Fort Hood Attack from the ATF
FTB classified SS196 ammunition as not armor piercing.
The FN 5.7 (Fabrique Nationale) pistol is a semiautomatic pistol in 5.7 X 28 mm caliber.
FTB has also examined a 5.7 X 28 mm projectile that FN Herstal has designated the “SS196.” The SS196 is loaded with a Hornady 40 grain, jacketed lead bullet. FTB classified SS196 ammunition as not armor piercing ammunition under Federal firearms statutes.
According to FNH USA, FN Herstal tested the SS192 ammunition. SS192 ammunition did not penetrate the Level IIIA vests that were tested. FNH USA states that SS196, Hornady V-Max 40 gr. bullets fired from a 4-3/4 inch barrel did not penetrate the Level II vests that were used in testing.
FNH USA has informed FTB that SS192 is no longer imported for commercial sale to the United States and that commercial sales of 5.7 X 28mm ammunition are restricted to the SS196 (not armor piercing).
To summarize, neither the pistol or its ammunition are normally capable of penetrating body armor. Neither of these items are “cop killers” in anything but the very loosest definition of the term.
