> I don't like concealed weapons laws because I don't believe
> they increase anyone's safety ...
Fair enough, I suppose. I'm not sure I've seen anyone argue that this is the standard that would need to be met, though I guess we'd have to speculate about what you'd think of concealed carry laws if the evidence was the other way ... yes?
> ... based on reviewing research (some years back) that simply
> indicates that concealed weapons are only ever so rarely
> actually used in self-defense and are far more likely to be used
> offensively or accidentally.
I think you'd have to dig that one up, because now you're saying that it actually makes people *less safe* to have concealed weapons, and I don't beleive I've ever seen that kind of finding. I agree that it's a difficult issue to study, mostly because the events are so rare[*]. But it's certainly not anything I've come across, and I'm a fairly interested party -- I try to keep up on stuff like that, if only to irritate people here on lbo-talk. Just as a thought exercise, this kind of finding ("far more likely to be used offensively") would have to support the notion that getting a permit and subsequently carrying concealed would automatically make you more likely to engage in criminal behavior. I think that's quite a stretch.
Thus I would say that my position is similar to yours, though from the other side: I don't have a problem with "shall issue" concealed carry laws, because I don't believe they decrease anyone's safety.
> I also really really really do not want students and/or faculty,
> administrators or staff packing.
It's okay to feel that way. Alas, there's no data to support your fears. However: sleep tight, since most (all?) states that have shall-issue laws also prohibit carrying concealed on K-12 grounds, and most of them at least also allow colleges and universities to prohibit concealed weapons. Michigan is one such state that disallows it completely, despite having a fairly liberal "shall issue" environment.
---
I think it's telling that your biggest stated fear is unfounded (both in law and in practice); perhaps you should read a little more about this thing that you have such strong feelings about?
/jordan
[*] And are clouded by second-guessing decisions made under stress; the Gabrielle Giffords case had an instance of at least one guy who was carrying concealed and yet did not shoot Jared Lee Loughner to stop his attack, despite being in a prime position to do so. There is so much that we cannot know.