Travis Precinct 2 Constable Candidate a Far Right Extremist on Handguns

by: John Woods

Mon Feb 06, 2012 at 10:12 AM CST

Over the last two legislative sessions, I organized students against bills which would have forced colleges and universities to allow guns in classrooms. I did so because I lost people close to me in the Virginia Tech shooting, and grew tired of lawmakers exploiting our tragedy to promote a political agenda having nothing to do with campus safety.

We won that fight, in no small part because of people like Chief Acevedo and Constable Bruce Elfant, as well as all the other members of law enforcement who oppose arming college students.

There are a number of good things I can say about Mike. He is hard-working, warm, and intelligent. He holds to his convictions.

But Mike Cargill was also one of the chief voices lobbying for passage of the "guns in classrooms" bills.

These bills were about opening a new market for firearms sales and concealed handgun licensing classes - and Mr. Cargill was one of those who stood to gain a great deal from that market. You see, Mr. Cargill earns his living at least in part by running CHL Class Austin, which - among other things - markets CHL classes to college students [2] [3].

The Twitter feed for Mr. Cargill's business - which may also be his personal feed - offers some additional hints about his beliefs. It seems that Mike Cargill not only supports guns in classrooms, but also guns in bars.

And on July 26th, Cargill wrote, "Rep. Ron Paul of Texas introduced all three bills in the US Congress....We salute you Sir [sic]," referring to legislation which would (1) force the FAA to allow commercial airline pilots to carry guns, (2) repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, and (3) repeal the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (which instituted federal background checks).

I worry that Cargill, if elected, will use his office to promote his own business. I also worry that his motivation for running for this position is to give himself a megaphone through which to broadcast his beliefs about guns.

I ask the Democratic voters of Precinct 2 to take a good hard look at the candidates before primaries come around. Ask hard questions. Make sure that the person you elect is a person who represents your beliefs - and the beliefs of Texans.

Students for Gun-Free Schools releases endorsement information for UT campus-wide elections

by: John Woods

Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 06:01 PM CST

The NRA has worked hard to make keeping schools free of guns appear to be a partisan issue, but the Texan's fearlessness in asking about the issue in its endorsements demonstrates that student leaders aren't buying it. More tellingly, only two candidates are listed as "in favor" of guns in classrooms.

Indeed, with complete confidence that students will vote for leaders who are opposed to guns in classrooms, Students for Gun-Free Schools -- a student organization at UT and a nation-wide non-profit -- released a record of candidates' positions on the issue, as well as endorsement statements.

This time last year, there were two bills in the Texas Legislature that would have allowed students to carry guns in classrooms. Both bills were ultimately caught in the Texas House, after one (SB 1164) passed the Senate, in part because of the time and energy spent by student leaders on the issue.

Although Students for Gun-Free Schools was created as a response to such bills, the organization pursues other strategies for preventing campus violence as well. "Our focuses are access to mental health, and various measures which can keep at-risk students from falling through the cracks," said SGFS's Southwestern University chapter president.

The organization's statewide director, John Woods, had this to say: "There's not a lot of violence on college campuses, and we'd like to keep it that way. But over thirty thousand people are killed every year by guns -- that's more than terrorism worldwide most years. We have a responsibility to make students aware of these issues."

Volunteers with SGFS have also put together resolutions against guns in classrooms and in favor of closing the gun show loophole. They plan to introduce these at some precinct meetings Tuesday, in an attempt to unify the Texas Democratic Party around common sense public safety issues.

"Our biggest obstacle right now is getting the word out about our organization," said Woods. "There are so many troubling things happening in Texas that sometimes keeping our classrooms safe gets pushed to the back of the line. Students know about what we're doing, but parents generally don't."

Campus-wide elections begin Tuesday at 9 AM and end Wednesday at 5 PM. Voting may be done online at utsg.org, or at computers on campus.