The White House moved quickly to politicize a mass shooting today at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College, which already bans guns on campus property.
According to multiple White House reporters, Obama press secretary Josh Earnest reacted to the news not by offering federal assistance to local law enforcement agencies still struggling to get the situation under control, but by noting that President Barack Obama still supports “common sense” gun control regulations.
Josh Earnest reacts to shooting news – Common sense gun control still supported by the administration
Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) October 1, 2015
Josh Earnest: Vast majority of Americans share the President’s view in wondering why Congress won’t take commons sense steps on gun control.
Fred Lucas (@FredLucasWH) October 1, 2015
Although reports are highly fluid, it appears that at least 15 people are dead as a result of the massacre, with at least 20 individuals injured. The identities and motivations of those responsible for the mass shooting in Oregon are not yet known.
White House demands for increased gun control ring hollow, however, given that Umpqua Community College, the site of the mass shooting, is a gun-free zone. School policy bans the possession of firearms on campus property. A cached web page of the school’s safety and security policy, pictured below, states that “[p]ossession, use, or threatened use of firearms…on college property…is prohibited.”
Directly below the school’s notice of its gun ban is a section entitled, “Don’t Be a Victim,” which includes advice such as “[w]alk in groups when possible” and “don’t look like a victim[.]”
I'm not big on the "arm everyone" responses, so I say this neutrally: School just confirmed to Fox that it's a "weapons free campus."
Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) October 1, 2015
As a condition of enrollment, Umpqua Community College requires students to adhere to a strict code of conduct. The school specifically lists possession of a firearm as a violation of the student code of conduct. The document specifically lists 40 specific behaviors which the school says would constitute a violation of its conduct rules. Possession of a firearm anywhere on campus, or at any event sponsored or supervised by the school, regardless of location, without the express written authorization of school administrators is listed at number 19:
721.3 STUDENT MISCONDUCT
The following actions and/or behaviors are the types of misconduct for which students may be subject to disciplinary action. These prohibitions are not designed to define misconduct in all-inclusive terms and in no way should this be considered an exhaustive list:
19. Possession or use, without written authorization, of firearms, explosives, dangerous chemicals, substances, or any other weapons or destructive devices that are designed to or readily capable of causing physical injury, on College premises, at College-sponsored or supervised functions or at functions sponsored or participated in by the College.
Students who violate the code of conduct can be suspended, expelled, or even referred to law enforcement authorities for criminal prosecution.
UCC Interim President: We have a "no guns on campus" policy. #UCCShooting pic.twitter.com/mmWRKJcRA7
FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) October 1, 2015
Oregon recently passed a law requiring so-called universal background checks on all firearms purchases in the state. That law took effect in August.
