Monte Ashqar

Police say Texas State is prepared -- in case there's a shooter on campus like the one who took his own life at the University of Texas last week. Monte Ash-kar has more in this Bobcat Update.

The U-T shooting has prompted inquiries into Texas State's readiness for a similar situation. Police Sergeant Robert Campbell says the university has made great strides to be prepared. Campbell says most classrooms are now equipped with clock boards that can display an instructional message in times of crisis. He demonstrated how the board works.
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Campbell says -- to prevent any abuse of the warning system -- only four computers have been equipped to transmit alerts. He also says the police department has participated in active-shooter-response training. The U-T incident has renewed debate over allowing concealed handguns on campus. Economics Senior Mike Guzman supports the idea. Guzman at one time chaired a student group that lobbied the Texas legislature. He says police aren't able to react quickly enough when incidents occur.
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Sergeant Campbell says he disagrees with Guzman's estimate. Campbell says police can react much faster. He also doesn't support the idea of allowing people to carry concealed weapons on campus. Police fear more violence would likely be the result.
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