The Campus Carry Bill Is A Controversial Bill

There is much controversy over whether or not students should be able to bring guns on college campuses. The new law, to be implemented in the year of 2016, gives students ages 21 or older to carry concealed weapons on campus. The thought of the new law puts fear in the hearts of some Americans when thinking about the safety of themselves or loved ones. While the bill has been passed, allowing guns onto a college campus should not be allowed.

One of the major heated issues with gun control has been the legislation of concealed carry on college campuses. According to Weeden’s (2017) article, “Guns on Campus,” Arkansas and Georgia have already passed bills to allow students and faculty to carry guns on campus. I can understand why states are doing this due to the amount of school shootings that have been occurring

Dear Mortimer I am writing this paper to persuade you to rethink your position concerning the preemption of firearms regulation regarding college campuses. All over the world violence occurs when we least expect it. As the human race evolves, so does the technology we use. We have acquired the ability to kill a man without being in his general vicinity. With just the slight movement of my finger I can end someone’s life. One small confrontation could lead to a terrible travesty. In the United States alone, we have seen many shootings in educational buildings from the students themselves. When you put guns in the hands of students, you are asking for death. People may say it adds protection to people wearing guns, but what about the people without them? I strongly believe that if this bill is allowed to continue we be seeing a large number of shooting in buildings of education, which is unacceptable. One small miscommunication between two armed students could start a firefight.

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

Concealed carry and college campuses are two major topics currently in the media, yet these two topics are rarely used in unison, until now. The topic of whether or not concealed carry should be allowed on college campuses is a now mainstream debate with multiple views and numerous differentiating opinions. Many of the general public question if campus police is capable enough to protect a university’s enormous student body? Another commonly discussed issue is if concealed handguns actually do deter crime, and if they are capable of aiding in stopping a mass shooting spree? Or if guns on campus, carried by fellow classmates would make students as a whole feel more cautious or on the opposing hand make students feel more secure with guns carried on campus? If guns are allowed on campus, how will this affect a growing student’s ideology? These questions and many more are highly spoken of in our social media based generation, the answers to these questions help to improve our knowledge on this debate of concealed carry on college campuses, which will lead us to form our own individual opinions on this debate topic based on the facts and evidence presented.

According to the NCSL, National Conference of State Legislatures “Over the last five years, campus safety legislation has been a hot issue across the country”. Authors like Jazz Silva are standing up for student’s rights that some State Legislatures might not care about. Not only are weapons dangerous but it is unsafe to students who may struggle with mental health issues. College campuses are safer than the communities that surround them. The University of Louisiana system states “93% of the violence against students occurs off campus.” Allowing guns on campus would lead to an escalation in violence, can lead to an increased number of suicides by college students, and the possibility that a weapon can go off by accident.

It seems that tragedy and violence across America are becoming all too common in our daily news. Even more tragic is when it is at a school. With the increase in violence across America, it is opening the door to the question of should college campuses allow concealed guns on campus? Allowing concealed guns on campuses is something that may come true at public colleges across Georgia. Recently, the Georgia senate passed a bill by 37-17 that would allow gun owners 21 and over to carry concealed weapons on public college campuses. If Governor Nathan Deal approves the bill it will go into effect (The Associated Press). While some feel this could potentially open the door to more violence, others believe this will give them the ability to protect themselves should the need arise.

Republican Senator Brian Birdwell introduced the Texas Senate Bill 11, also known as the Campus Carry Bill, to the House and Senate on January 26, 2015. With Texas being a highly conservative state, supporters of this bill were largely consisted of Republicans and gun-rights activists. Many supporters, especially pro-gun individuals, argued the second amendment would be violated by not allowing those with a concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry a concealed gun on campus. They also believed guns can be utilized as a form of self-defense to further support the passage of this bill.

Allowing concealed weapons on campus has been around for several years now. Sides such as, Students for Concealed Carry, who advocate for the right to carry on campuses and the other opposing such thing. Former, Students for Concealed Carry Director, David Burnett wrote an article about the reasons as to why students should be able to carry on campuses. Burnett was the director for the group in 2011, he wanted to get the word out about this cause during his time. Burnett wrote several articles about the reasons to why students should be allowed to carry on campus. Also the websites states, “state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else.”(1) Burnett states this into his article because under the new law, only those who have a concealed handgun license would be able to carry. Those with licenses can freely carry in movie theaters, grocery stores, banks, shopping malls and even churches so why should a

The first arguement for concealed guns on campus comes from insiderhighered.com written by Kaitlin Mulhere. She states that so far eleven states are discussing on being able to carry a concealed gun on campus. There has been at least one bill that has been suggested in about half of the fifty states within past few years for guns on campus. So far, seven states have made laws allowing guns on campus. Kaitlin says that there are two views on the issue. One being that it is a constitutional right for one to be able to carry a gun. The second being that it will make campuses safer from shooters and other criminals. It was brought up in the beginning that armed people on campus could commit a mass shooting which worried many people. Kaitlin

This issue of campus carry has been around for a long while, because some people believe that guns ensure safety and others believe they bring danger. While on one side, there are pro-gun activists who want to see the college community safe from crime, on the other side stand the peace activists who want to prevent violence on campus caused by guns. The controversy has been brought into the light of the media recently with UT Austin’s legalization of concealed handguns on campus.

Gun ownership is on the rise and even college students want firearms now. Since 1999 college students owning firearms for protection has increased over 19 percent (DiMauro 17). With this rise whether or not these numbers should increase has become a heated issue. As of now 26 colleges allow concealed carry on campuses, totaling in over 70 campuses(Burnett) and many others are in consideration. Organizations such as Students for Concealed Carry are at work to educate the public on the truths of how on campus carry would to some degree benefit college students, professors, and all visitors. Firearms can be and should be allowed on college campuses primarily because it is a not only a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution but also

Although eight states have passed provisions allowing concealed weapons on public campuses and several other states allow campuses to decide if they are allowed, instead colleges should take a holistic view and approach to provide a robust security program, safety training, communication network and guidance on behavior awareness for faculty and students. As States continue to pass campus carry laws the colleges continue to funnel the majority of their focus dedicated to passing the law. This has eroded and overshadowed the end result, which is to protect students and faculty. Campuses should not allow students to carry guns on campus. By providing this false sense of security it dilutes the opportunity to implement tools, train and provide strategies to improve campus safety.

The signing ceremony for the bills is scheduled for Saturday, June 13th. Gov. Abbott’s decision

“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.