It’s been a little while since my last “People Suck” post, so I thought what better way to revive the Law Street pseudo-series than with a story about a two gun rights groups planning to stage a fake mass shooting at the University of Texas this weekend. Because if people blaring gunshot sounds from bullhorns on a hypersensitive college campus days after the horrific attack in San Bernardino doesn’t scream “People Suck,” I don’t know what else does.

Gun rights groups want to hold a fake mass shooting. There’s no way this could go wrong. https://t.co/lqQ4vmlrAO pic.twitter.com/abJshCIfvw

— PB Post NOW (@PBPostNOW) December 9, 2015

But UT students can expect to see and hear much more than gun shots echoing though their campus. The Open Carry Walk and Crisis Performance Event will also include fake blood, cardboard weapons, and a cast of crisis actors playing first responders.

The event was organized by Come and Take it Texas and DontComply.com in order to protest “gun-free zones” on the campus. Matthew Short, a spokesman for the groups, told Statesman.com,

Criminals that want to do evil things and commit murder go places where people are not going to be able to stop them. When seconds count, the cops are minutes away.

After the demonstration, the groups plan to walk through Austin with loaded weapons, which are currently banned from UT’s campus until next August when a new campus carry law goes into effect. Short explained to the Statesman,

We want criminals to fear the public being armed. An armed society is a polite society.

The groups have said outright that they don’t find the timing of the event to be insensitive at all, despite the mass shooting in San Bernardino being labeled the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 9/11.

But how could it not be?

As news of more and more attacks surface each month, mass shootings have gone from a hypothetical situations that you’ll probably never find yourself in to possible realities. Schools have continued to receive threats of more violence, and some community members find themselves in a state of constant vigil.

Therefore, simulating most Americans’ worst nightmare shouldn’t be at the top of these people’s list. Gun rights activists are more than welcome to hold meeting, demonstrations, and even bake sales for their cause if they so choose, but scarring college students with fake gunshots and blood is just weird and cruel.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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