Guns In Texas

Allowing guns on campuses has to be one of the most absurd solutions conceived to regulate safety. Firearms have no place in the hands of staff and students on campus. The idea is totally blown out of proportion because many universities actually considering concealed carry believe the impact will be less crime and more safety, but what exactly does it mean to allow a weapon on college property? People that are for campus carry argue that those with a firearm will be able to defend themselves against any incident that is bound to happen, but what happens when they pull out a gun? How will students, staff, or law enforcement react? Guns on campuses are not a good idea due to the fact students aren't fully mature enough to carry a weapon, they will become inhibited in

Due to the recent upheaval of violent crimes on campus, many pro-gun activist have suggested that both the students and teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus. Those for this may claim that their rights have been violated because many college campuses refuse to allow weapons of any kind on campus. It is not the right to carry a gun which is in debate here, but rather it is whether or not guns should be allowed on a college campus. The Constitution of The United States of America already grants citizens the right to carry guns, and being in the south, I am by far no stranger to seeing a gun from time-to-time, but it is not appropriate for guns to be in a vulnerable area such as a college campus. There are already too many guns available to the public, and allowing them on an educational facility would greatly increase the likelihood of injury or death. Americans, as previously mentioned, have the right to bear arms, and this should be held sacred, and not infringed, taken away, or limited. However, stricter firearm control should be implemented for those who chose to carry a concealed weapon, and gun control should be done by having stricter certification processes before a firearm or gun permit is issued, intensive psychological evaluation for the person or persons applying for a gun permit or a gun,and greater educational requirements for gun owners and firearm safety.

In 2007, 32 students and teachers die after being held at gunpoint on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University by a student, Seung Hui Cho, who attended the school later on dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In all 27 students and 5 faculty members died. I really think that guns shouldn't be allowed on college campuses at all because it will cause a distraction from the learning environment, would lead to an increased number of suicides by college students, a gun might go off by accident, most college students are too young to carry a concealed handgun license, and school shootings don't happen that often and college campuses are very safe so, therefore, there is no need to carry a concealed weapon on a campus.

The difference on perspectives has been a major issue especially after President Obama’s constant effort to pass more gun control laws. In contrast, the presumably and deeply Republican state of Texas, which has very few restrictions on guns, has just passed a law that makes concealed carrying on college campuses legal. Such law has been a controversy and had divided reactions from Texans all around the state. The problem that is tried to solve with this bill is to prevent more mass shootings from happening in the facilities of higher education institutions. It is very important to

Guns such as semiautomatic AK-47s and Uzis are easily available along with high-capacity magazines. It was the availability of such magazines that Seung Hui Cho used to kill so many people so quickly (“What We Want”). Gun control laws on campuses are being reconsidered by many states after the much publicized shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois Universities. Nadine Mahasneh’s writing in the February 28, 2008 issue of The Exponent states that according to an article published in USA Today, twelve states have been considering bills that would allow people to carry concealed weapons on public university campuses. The Indiana Senate did vote on a bill that would allow people with permits to carry handguns on state property, except in specific places such as airports. The bill did not pass (Mahasneh). Since the fall semester of 2008, Utah’s state law has allowed licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on the campuses of all nine public colleges in Utah. Concealed carry has been allowed at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado since 2003 and at Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cove, Virginia since 1995. None of these schools have seen a single resulting incident of gun violence, a single gun accident, or a single gun theft (Concealed Campus.com). In Indiana, one must be eighteen years old to purchase a rifle or shotgun. One does not need a permit or license to do so. The

August 1 marks the day which the state’s new Campus Carry law was enacted. This law which comply with Senate Bill 11, has authorized a licensed holder to carry concealed handgun at University of Texas at Austin and other public universities in Texas. The implementation of this law have risen controversy between the stakeholders which are the faculty members, students, parents, staffers and alumni. In regard to this, President Fenves has assigned a Campus Carry Working Group to guide the implementation of Senate Bill 11 which complies the law and at the same time ensuring the safety of the campus.

Allowing concealed weapons on campus can also prevent casualties and injuries in the event of a mass public shooting. According to Smith “Between 1977 and 1995, the average death rate from mass shootings plummeted by up to 91% after such laws [right-to-carry concealed handgun laws] went into effect, and injuries dropped by over 80%.”

In this paper, I will discuss the recent law that allows for conceal handgun license holders to carry a concealed weapon on college campuses in Texas. Although “no permit is necessary for the purchase of rifles, shotguns, ammunition, or any firearm component in the state…the only qualifications pertinent to the purchase of firearms…is that the purchaser must be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the state,” there are rules as to who can carry a concealed handgun (gun.laws). “A person must apply for a license with the Department of Public Safety and meet certain requirements: the completed materials and applications, two passport color photographs, [be] at least 21 years of age, [be a] resident of the state of Texas, completion of

Students, especially in a college environment, should not be in possession of a firearm. College students go to parties and tend to get intoxicated. When under the influence, a student’s judgment becomes impaired, now add a gun into an already potentially dangerous environment and the consequences could be fatal. Even if students do exercise caution when handling their firearms, accidents can occur. According to Gun Violence Archive, there were 1,959 accidental shootings in 2015 and already 533 accidental shootings in 2016. Not only are guns dangerous at the hands of a shooter, but they are dangerous in the hands of anyone. Most students are not trained on how to operated a firearm, tend to make poor decisions and accidents do happen. In my opinion, students should not be allowed to have guns on campus, for the sake of everyone’s

Due to the significant number of violent shootings on college campuses in the past recent years, many have argued that both students and teachers should be allowed to carry a concealed handgun on campus to defend themselves. They believe it will help stop shootings and make campuses safer, but will it? These people who are suggesting this are only thinking about their own safety and not thinking about the consequences that will flourish due to guns on campus. Guns on campus would not only lead to an escalation in violent crimes, but will lead to an increase in the number of incidents. Allowing people to bring guns on college campuses won’t solve anything; instead we should be limiting the amount of weapons to make it a safer environment for both students and teachers.

“The first thing Violand saw was a gun, then the gunman, ‘I quickly dove under a desk, ’he recalled, ‘that was the desk I chose to die under.’ “(Maraniss). While the U.S. constitution says Americans have the right to bear arms, firearms continue to threaten our schools, work and religious areas. Regardless of the danger that guns possess some states have passed a bill to allow campus carry, which grants professors and college students the choice to carry a firearm on college or university campuses. Although, we have seen the amount of influence that firearms have caused in the past a good amount of public still supports the claim that guns are a reasonable source of protection. However, while many in favor of campus carry view it as a safety precaution, campus carry should not be allowed because there is no evidence that proves campus carry will keep students safer and carrying a concealed weapon can distract from the learning environment.

Saying that we would be safer if the common student would be allowed to carry around a gun is truly an absurd statement. With all due respect for those that mean no harm for their fellow peers, there are students that may have quite the opposite in mind. As noted in a 2007 report by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, there are three reasons why gun violence would be likely to increase if more guns were present on college campuses: the prevalence of drugs and alcohol; the risk of

“Colleges and universities occupy a special place in American society. They are much more than a series of buildings and collection of individuals. Instead, they are dynamic living and learning environments where individuals with varying levels of maturity interact, often under stressful circumstances. While recognizing the right of responsible individuals to possess firearms under other circumstances, the unique characteristics of a university campus make the presence of firearms problematic. The shootings that have occurred in recent years at US colleges and universities have generated passionate debate about how best to prevent such violence and whether persons should be allowed to carry concealed guns on campuses. Experts believe there is no credible evidence that students or staff carrying guns would reduce crime. In fact, research has shown that the brains of most college students have not fully developed regarding impulse control and judgment” (Dickerson). Therefore, guns should not be allowed on college campuses because it would lead to an escalation in violent crime, distract from the learning environment, and lead to accidental discharge incidents.

Mass shootings are becoming a real danger in today’s society. The amounts of shootings have been gradually increasing over the years. Implementing firearms to universities or colleges is likely to increase the amount of mass shootings to occur over time. The Texas government created the campus carry bill to try to prevent shootings from taking place. On August 1, 2016, Texas will allow students and faculty members in private and public universities to carry a concealed firearm on campus. This bill may be helpful but it doesn’t have much valid information showing it will work. The following year the so-called bill will also apply to two-year colleges. As a result, ‘‘Texas joins Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Utah, Wisconsin and Oregon’’(Nedzel) in permitting individuals the right to carry a concealed weapon. In the graph below it shows the number of casualties over the years due to guns being present.

Senate Bill 11 provides that license holders may carry a concealed handgun throughout university campuses, starting Aug 1, 2016. Even though many students, staff, alumni and parents oppose guns in the classrooms, offices, dormitories and on UT campus, Texas legislators sponsored this law, and finally Texas legislation allowed license holders to carry concealed firearms on campus, in dormitories or other residential facilities.