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Bullet Points: ‘We will continue to speak out,’ says Gun Free UH admin

In October 2015, history senior Alex Colvin began emailing his professors out of concern for UH’s lack of mobilization against campus carry. He considered that online surveys and discussion forums about the issues were insufficient.

When he discovered that students, faculty and staff felt the same way, Colvin created a petition and a closed Facebook group called Gun Free UH calling for the repeal of Texas Senate Bill 11. Effective Aug. 1, the bill authorizes handgun license holders to carry concealed guns on campus.

Following the first installment of our weekly Bullet Points series, The Cougar interviewed Colvin on why he thinks guns should not be allowed on campus.

The Cougar: How do you interpret the Second Amendment?

Alex Colvin: As a UH history senior who has studied the colonial period and the American Revolution, there is little doubt to me or among historians that the Second Amendment was intended as a right within a military context. There are no credible historians who I’ve read claiming otherwise. Legal scholars, likewise, are the first to point out the errors of (late Justice Antonin Scalia)’s District of Columbia v. Heller opinion. Any serious student of the American Revolution would recognize that (James) Madison was very concerned with Virginia’s ratification of the Bill of Rights because Virginia — especially Patrick Henry — was concerned with slave rebellions and how that might play out if everyone had an immutable right to a musket.

There was also George Washington’s constant griping about the sorry state of the Continental Army of which there is overwhelming evidence in his letters. Madison, who held huge political sway, had to demonstrate extraordinary statesmanship to Virginia while trying to ensure that, if needed, we had an Army we could depend on to defend us.

Not since 1780 does the Supreme Court deviate from that historical understanding until Scalia. In his concluding remarks, however, Scalia left wide latitude for state-imposed gun control, and places like schools were not ordinary places but “sensitive” places where states and administrative bodies were certainly well within their rights to regulate gun use. Just because some states, their governors and lawmakers — especially Texas — have refused to see Scalia’s conclusions for what they clearly imply does not mean he never said such things.

TC: How do you believe the events in Orlando reflect on gun control?

AC: They don’t reflect gun control at all, that’s the problem. (The shooter Omar Mateen) had easy access to a “civilianized machine gun.” My “civilianized machine gun” is a term that makes gun zealots apoplectic because they think the technical distinctions between a machine gun and, say, an AR-15 assault rifle are somehow worth knowing. They also make a weapon with a 30 to 50 round-magazine capable of killing many people at once somehow more socially acceptable.

What’s actually worth knowing is not the technical differences, but that the term “assault weapon” was a generic advertising term first used by gun manufacturers and gun magazine publishers promoting civilized versions of military weapons. Nowhere does one see their original designs being promoted for civilian use. All assault weapons — the AR-15 or the M16 — were originally designed for rapid mass killing of enemy combatants in a war setting. They were not designed for personal use or for sports hunting. Those ideas came later as advertisers began exploiting the civilian consumer market in the 1980s as the survivalist movement began gaining popularity. Back issues of popular gun magazines make this abundantly clear.

TC: Do you believe campus shootings are more or less likely to occur with the passing of campus carry?

AC: The term “shootings” needs to be understood in its full context. It is not just as a term to imply homicides, which is the metrical lens gun zealots always try to view gun violence through. It includes suicides, accidents and negligent homicides. Will they occur on college campuses where guns are permitted? They already have. Will they increase? They already have. Will untrained students capable of obtaining a weapon be our stalwart defenders rushing to the aid the poor defenseless sitting ducks? Thus far, the heroes have not shown up.

This is, however, the fantasy they perpetuate as if it’s credible as a pristine “self-defense” model protected by the Second Amendment.  Where, then, is the evidence from Utah or Colorado where gun-toting students have fended off the bad guys with their guns? What we see instead are reported cases of gun mishandling or accidental shootings resulting in injury. What we also see are students with concealed guns not using them against shooters or secretly bringing them to campus in defiance of school policy.

TC: Since campus carry’s passing, what do you hope the University will do to protect students?

AC: UH is in conflict with itself, sadly. It is constrained by the Texas legislature on the one hand, but has a moral imperative to protect the well-being of the campus community on the other. Personally, I would hate to be Dr. Renu Khator, but if I were I would somehow summon the courage to make a strong statement against campus carry. Our SGA president certainly did that at the second campus carry forum that I attended. I was proud to sit next to President Smith.  We did not see that in Dr. Khator’s statement to legislatures when she appeared in the Texas State Affairs Committee hearing last spring. That was disappointing.  She renounced her moment in the sun to political expediency.

The good news is, if marginally so, that the draft policy issued was very strong.  I am grateful to the (campus carry) work group. My hope is Dr. Khator will not try to weaken it by asking for a re-draft which dilutes it.

TC: For students who advocate for concealed carry, what do you think they should do to avoid endangering others?

AC: The student advocates for “concealed carry” are not interested in non-injury to their peers. They are already injuring students by lobbying and advocating for an unjust law crafted by the NRA and promoted by the American Legislative Exchange Council that was wholly denounced by scores of college students, faculty, staff, parents and supporters across Texas and the nation. Concealed carry advocates see only their rights and not the danger of giving untrained amateurs easy access to loaded weapons in a learning environment where no registry will be permitted, no mental health evaluation will be required and where instructors and students are already putting their schools on notice that they will not teach or attend. In the case of (University of Texas), some have already left.

We’ve been doing deep research into groups like Students for Concealed Carry for months. They are a rather “gundementalist” group who have no qualms about allying with the NRA, gun extremist groups like Gun Owners of America and other groups who have essentially bullied universities into compliance with obscene laws, campus carry statutes and cutthroat litigation nationwide. We’ll be releasing our in-depth finding in the months to come on a specially designed website. You can read the abstract here.

TC: You website states that you will participate in “principled dissent against unjust laws.” Will you continue these actions after campus carry takes effect on Aug. 1? 

AC: We will continue to speak out and to repudiate S.B. 11 until it is repealed. Our members are already involved in the Texas political landscape and this is part of that new agenda. As you may know, Houston’s new mayor, Sylvester Turner, is a UH alumnus. Very early on, he gave us a very powerful statement that was featured on the evening broadcast of Channel 11 News: “Campus carry is a dangerous law that will only lead to disaster.”

TC: What do you believe is the future of UH once campus carry is in effect?

AC: UH will gain a reputation as being a school that allows armed students in its classrooms. There’s only so much advertising hype and glossy PR can do to compensate for that. The “effects” are already in play. Students are leaving, parents are declining to send their children here, instructors are seeking safer schools and some are retiring early. Other instructors are making adjustments to their teaching methods while others are working behind the scenes to push back against campus carry. The majority are allied with us although there are some who are quiet allies.

UH must decide what kind of school it wants to be: One that allows itself to cower before an unjust law or one which puts its campus community’s safety first. It really boils down to what it considers its duty is to its legacy — if it truly wants to be Tier One in a respectable, principled way.

Alex Colvin has written for the opinion section of The Cougar. 

30 Comments

  • seems like Alex just uses big words to cover up his leftist agenda. Didn’t know liberals (see: socialists) studied the American Revolution, seems like you’d be more interested in studying Karl Marx.

  • Is Alex Colvin really the best representation of the anti-campus carry movement at UH? The guy is a certifiable nut who is far more interested in making ad hominem attacks against the group promoting campus carry than in exploring or discussing the actually policy of campus carry:

    https://nebula.wsimg.com/86f0301bb7c5667526fe8e27768dd9a8?AccessKeyId=438A823283FB0346DF5E&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

    http://concealedcampus.org/2016/03/anti-campus-carry-advocate-history-of-violence-against-women/

    http://concealedcampus.org/2016/03/scc-makes-anti-campus-carry-conspiracy-theorists-an-offer-they-cant-refuse/

    • That nut (GFUH) … will soon be teaching your kids anti-American history in school. Be very afraid.

      • Mr. Colvin has no interest in “teaching”. His interest is historical research. Different track altogether. But if he did, he would not engage in the revisionist horse manure you consider unassailable gospel.

          • Again, as was pointed out to the hacks who spent money digging up a non-event, the case was dismissed by the DA as “no information.” Which they conveniently obscured, but which is in the record. Why was it dismissed? Because the charges were falsely made. And the girl who made them left town when she was informed legal action might be taken against her. That is how the legal system in this country works. Evidence, not bizarre, slanderous claims. Thanks for sharing.

          • A new comment was posted on The Daily Cougar
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            AJCoog posted and must have deleted.

            Again, as was pointed out to the hacks who spent money digging up a non-event, the case was dismissed by the DA as “no information.” Which they conveniently obscured, but which is in the record. Why was it dismissed? Because the charges were falsely made. And the girl who made them left town when she was informed legal action might be taken against her. That is how the legal system in this country works. Evidence, not bizarre, slanderous claims. Thanks for sharing.

            7:58 p.m., Wednesday July 13 | Other comments by AJCoog

            ===============================================

            As seen with the online stalking of Ms. Okafor, it is not such a stretch to see the legal stalking by AJCoog of a young innocent woman. A young lady who probably didn’t have much money to begin with, and felt threatened and scared living near a drunk and obnoxious man, so who can blame her for leaving town.

            The fact still remains that Alex J. Colvin was hauled off to the hoosegow for alleged assault and battery and drunkenness. You say it was a non-event … but to the young lady affected it was an pivotal event in her life. Her life was uprooted, and you call it a non-event.

            Evidently, many SocDems have experienced non-events … Bill Crosby for instance … had many non-events with women. Bill Clinton had non-events with Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, and hundreds of other women.

            Hillary Clinton ran the Bimbo Eruptions Unit to destroy the character of women that Bill Clinton had non-events with during his campaigns.

            And judging from your reaction and success in getting the charges dropped … you would make an excellent member of Hillary Clinton’s staff in assisting in destroying the character of people who get in her way.

            After all, you said; “Mr. Colvin has no interest in “teaching”. His interest is Historical Research.”
            .

            • People get falsely accused of things all the time. The evidence used to “prove” my innocence to the DA was supplied to the DA via photographic evidence. The lens does not lie. Sorry, but your smear campaign is about 17 years too late. The DA dismissed the charges and the false accuser fled town when she learned a lawsuit was pending for false arrest and giving false statements to peace officers. Given her habit as a drug addict and peddler, it was best she leave. Sorry if facts get in the way of your character assassination attempt but that’s life.

            • A new comment was posted on The Daily Cougar

              ——————————————————————————–

              AJCoog posted again and again deleted.

              People get falsely accused of things all the time. The evidence used to “prove” my innocence to the DA was supplied to the DA via photographic evidence. The lens does not lie. Sorry, but your smear campaign is about 17 years too late. The DA dismissed the charges and the false accuser fled town when she learned a lawsuit was pending for false arrest and giving false statements to peace officers. Given her habit as a drug addict and peddler, it was best she leave. Sorry if facts get in the way of your character assassination attempt but that’s life.

              6:54 a.m., Thursday July 14 | Other comments by AJCoog

              ===============================================

              For the second day in a row. Mr. Alex J. “Online Stalker, Heavy Drinker, Slur Mouth, Stumbling Around and Guilty of A&B in Our Minds” Colvin has deleted his comments to me and to others, and has probably by now has deleted his Disqus account by now as well.

              I love using SocDem tactics against SocDems What I did to GFUH is what SocDems have done against Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin.

              Just keep pounding them and pounding the SocDems. Don’t be afraid. Know your facts. And be a wordy wordsmith, and you can beat SocDems every time.

              Alex J. Colvin only knows what his Socialist caretakers in academe have taught him. He has no real word experience in society, and he picked a cause since he had the time … and it was gun control.

              Who knows why he chose gun control? He could be related to Seldon Wayne Colvin who shot to death two people in 1984. I mean who knows?

              All I know is people like Alex J. Colvin have to be defeated … especially if Our Country is going to survive with some sense of Freedom about it in the Future.

              Alex J. Colvin is like a lobster in warm water; he never thinks that the water will be turned up. He feels all warm and cozy in his little Socialist utopia, but gets all frustrated when someone does not agree with him.

              I’m reminded of a quote by “Praesidium” short film writer Paul Myzia, “No killer is going to walk away because a little sign says he can’t bring a firearm inside.”

              Obviously Alex J. Colvin thinks a killer will abide by the sign … and if they don’t … the campus police will right there to stop the killing. How simple a mind like Alex J. Colvin’s do you have to believe that notion. Well, AJCoog, or the commenter Formerly Known as AJCoog does.

              Thank goodness Alex J. Colvin will not be teaching our children in schools thanks to his 2001 arrest and online stalkership. He has to be a miserable person all the time. As for me … I’m happy. I’ve properly prepared myself for life when I was younger, I’m mid-30s now, and chose to come back for my Grad degree for family and for my business career.

              And I amuse myself for a few minutes each day by intellectually jousting with SocDems … I mean, I laugh when I post, or at the least I have a big grin. How many times has Alex J. Colvin had to change his Disqus profile for being laughed and embarrassed off the comment section.

              And I’d like to thank the other posters out there who have joined in the bombardment of Alex J. “Online Stalker, Heavy Drinker, Slur Mouth, Stumbling Around and Guilty of A&B in Our Minds” Colvin, in the defeat of his personal cause, which his organization probably only has him and a few other people in it if that.

              Peace Out!

    • The “group” promoting campus carry and their members such as Jake Smith, are in league with, among others, the NRA, Gun Owners of America, and other gun extremist groups. Available public records make this abundantly clear. Bullies have no legitimate place at a table where the mature, rational discussion of guns and students takes place. Knowing this themselves, helps explain why groups like SCC stoop to the tasteless, spotlight-grabbing tactics they do to try to hijack the conversation.

    • Alex J. Colvin (aka Gun Free UH, GFUH, AJCoog) has a history of Assault and Battery of women (half his age) while intoxicated and Online stalking of at least one woman, a Black Woman in fact. Tisk, tisk.

      With his combative history towards women, Alex should not be President of any organization on campus.

      And any organization of Women or Blacks on campus worth their salt, should be calling for Alex J. Colvin’s resignation.

    • I’m all for the occasional knife fight in the comments section of a student newspaper, but making ad hominem attacks against someone because of their ad hominem attacks against your organization seems hypocritical/petty at best.

      Colvin is not a good representation of anti-campus carry ideology. Anyone worth their salt can see that. That’s coming from someone who is invariably anti-campus carry.

      This is a person who is willing to take such a staunch, controversial, and politically weighted stance but is not willing to take the heat and criticism from holding these views. All the while creating myriads of pseudonyms (that fool no one) to falsely create outside perspectives that “reinforce” his ideas and deleting comments that garner flack without realizing that as fickle as the internet can be, it’s permanent.

      How Colvin continues to make it through the doors of TDC is nothing short of baffling to me. I assume it’s because they know he’s a controversial figure on campus. But this is a dude that is so immature that if I hadn’t witnessed him speaking myself at the campus carry open forum I’d be very hard pressed to believe he was a person in/around his fifties…

      That being said, there are plenty of other far more reasonable (albeit less heard) voices that are anti-campus carry ranging from an overwhelming majority of polled UH students to more notable campus individuals such as SGA President Shawn Smith, UHPD Police Chief Ceasar Moore, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

  • First off, I’m surprised that History Major Alex Colvin, also known as GFUH in Conservative circles, actually studied US History. So many major schools hold US History, especially our early history as contemptible. And in over 70 cases, US History is not even a requirement for a History degree.

    Alex obviously studied Our History to use it against us … and he will not be happy until all law-abiding American citizens are disarmed.

    GFUH, why don’t you go to North Korea and join that Spanish commie guy as his assistant … and he does get extra rice rations judging from his large girth.
    I’m convinced that you will be Happy in North Korea Alex .. I mean, you’re miserable here. Obama has been in office in over seven years, and you are still miserable. And don’t forget Obama’s Fast and Furious gun giveaway to the Mexican cartels has been devastating for so many families — where’s your condemnation of that GFUH?

    The Orlando and Dallas shooters had radical Islam backgrounds, and that is being ignored.

    One way to greatly reduce future shootings is by profiling.

    Obama has purposely ham-stringed agencies that monitor that stuff. Heck, he’s even removed actual terrorists from the terrorists watch-list. And now Gays are ARMING UP to protect themselves which PERFECTLY FINE with me … and I know Armed Gays has to frustrate Alex Colvin to no end. Talk about the amateurs that GFUH so easily condemns.

    I would not be surprised if Trump picks off 30% or more of the Gay vote come November. Clinton is spending $500,000/day on ads while Trump is spending nothing, and Hillary is still losing ground … in swing states no less.

    Obama’s ANTI-COP rhetoric helped fuel the anger of the Dallas Shooter, and Our Divider-in-Chief didn’t help reduce the tension with the last 2/3rds of his Dallas speech yesterday. Obama’s speech was about Obama, having referred to himself over 20-times, and of course calls for gun control of law-abiding citizens was his norm. Really … Obama said, “it’s easier to buy a Glock than a book?” It is total hype to continue his anti-cop and gun rhetoric.

    GFUH’s Chicken Little scenario of weekly shootings at UH will not materialize. Carrying a concealed firearm is a great responsibility, and it makes a person even more aware of their surroundings.

    Alex Colvin remarks are irresponsible, and it shows. He’s a 57 year old man child who has not properly prepared himself for life judging from his LinkedIn profile. He baths his comments in doom and gloom hoping someone will listen and follow him, but the calls go unheeded … and rightfully so.

    I know that I live rent free in Alex’s mind … but I think now I will start charging him for the privilege.

    • Neither shooters had Islamic extremist backgrounds according to official reports. One bizarre-o tweet does not Islamic radicalization make; the Dallas shooter appeared to have leanings toward the Black Panthers, but was not actually affiliated with any group. He was, if anything, a lone, rogue according to official accounts. Try to keep up. Your trying to monopolize a comment section does not show a mature ability to separate fact from fiction. Quite the opposite. The rest of your disjointed rant is standard Pro-Trump fare. Ho hum.

      • You were only offended by one sentence of my comment?

        The Dallas shooter was a Houston BP member … I’d say he’s a radical Islamist.

        And the Orlando shooter was an Islamic Radical … at the end of his life he did shoot up a Gay nightclub.

        The official reports that you cite Alex J. Colvin (aka AJCoog) .. go out of their way to excuse Mateen’s radical Islamic motives.

  • Hopefully most of the proposed policy will be rejected by the legislative committee charged with approving these documents. and you can be sure that there are students ready and willing to file suit over the remaining areas where thier rights have been trampled on.

    • Yes, they may well sue; that has been their pattern for the past decade. In some legal circles what they’ve done with other schools in the name of their so-called civil rights is called barratry.

    • All of the buildings excluded fall well within reasonable criteria for excluding them.

      No building is gun free just because. So I’d venture to guess that the reason the campus carry policy hasn’t already been shot down (no pun intended) is because it’s perfectly fine.
      The only thing that disturbed me is that it appears that TDECU stadium is not on the exclusion list even though the criteria specifically mentioned excluding sporting arenas.

      • TDECU is already excluded under present law, no need to be redundant. As far as reasonable criteria for the rest, poppycock. It hasn’t been shot down because it hasn’t been presented to the State yet.

        • Ah okay. Didn’t know there was another law that already excluded it. It just seems inconsistent since Cougar Baseball Field and The Rec are on it, but TDECU and Hofheinz are not.

          And poppycock to your poppycock, but I suppose we’ll see whether it stands come September 1st.

          I don’t see them having a case to shut it down though because 1.) It doesn’t generally ban carrying across campus, 2.) it only excludes dorms where the vast majority of the residents aren’t even old enough to carry, 3.) excluding places where mental and physical health is being evaluated is pretty obvious, 4.) labs and critical infrastructure should be excluded because Murphy’s law, and 5.) children.

          The only criteria anyone could reasonably call in to question is the one where faculty can apply for a specific exclusion zone in their office, but even that’s only on a case by case basis and goes through its own scrutiny.

  • The torpid sloth, aka Alex Colvin, doesnt think very highly of military members, parti ularly my Marine Corps brothers. This guy says the “heroes havent showed up yet.” This is a 100% false statement made by a coward who physically assaults women. F*** this guy. Get someone else to represent GFUH.

  • >We will continue to speak out and to repudiate S.B. 11 until it is repealed.

    Speak for yourself, Alex. I won’t take the risk of being assassinated on campus for speaking out against gun idiots. The goal of campus carry is to intimidate those who believe in gun safety, and it works – otherwise they wouldn’t do it. This is what conservatives and libertarians do, they intimidate others into accepting their views. That’s what the right is.

  • “they think the technical distinctions between a machine gun and, say, an AR-15 assault rifle are somehow worth knowing.” – yeah, it’s only the difference between RATATATATATATATATAT and pew, pew. It’s only the difference between freedom and 10 years in Federal prison. It’s only the difference between $600 and $25,000. Nope, only teeny, irrelevant technical differences /sarc

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