The Debate Over Gun Control

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.

and is commonly drawn into political debates and has become a political tool for winning elections. Some states have already voted and taken action on this new idea and have allowed staff to carry guns on campuses and in cars parked and locked in secure parking lots. Another major idea that is constantly brought up with campus carry and firearms on campuses is student

Every student should feel safe when stepping foot on campus, but allowing concealed handguns on campus grounds brings forth fear and doubt. A new Texas state law allows license holders to have concealed handguns in college buildings and classrooms. I firmly believe in the second amendment, which provides the right to bear arms: this means that everyone has the right to protect their selves, families, and land. However, I stand completely against the new state law (which moves into effect in Aug. of 2016) that is allowing license-carrying gun holders to carry their weapons to and from classes in universities. With this ruling moving closer into effect, many faculty members and college students are now realizing the dangers that this will bring forth. This bill was passed to help protect and defend students from possible school shooters, but in reality, it only jeopardizes the safety and trust of many students and faculty members.

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 ability to carry concealed weapons onto college campuses has always been an area of contention. In 1990, Congress passed the Clery Act which created gun-free zones in primary and secondary schools. Around that same time many states passed laws prohibiting weapons on college campuses as well. (Lyons, 2017) In recent years there has been a stronger focus on college related shootings and deaths which has re-ignited the conversation regards concealed weapons on college campuses.

With the recent shooting that occurred at Umpqua Community College, in Oregon. The talks of allowing students to be allowed to conceal carry on college campuses have come to the forefront.

The term “concealed gun” refers to any deadly gun that is carried on or about a person. Allowing students and faculty on college campuses to carry loaded, concealed guns could lead to an elevation in crime, increase the potential for unintentional injury, permit a fast-acting dangerous person easier access to a weapon, and ultimately disregards beneficence. Being allowed to carry concealed guns on campus will not only put students and faculty in danger, but everyone who happens to be on the college grounds.

The law that still exist until the new law takes effect in 2016/2017 said “Individuals are prohibited from possessing or having a firearm on the physical premises of a school and any event hosted or sponsored by the school, and cannot have it in a passenger transportation vehicle Concealed weapons permit holders are subject to this prohibition with the following exceptions.”( Laws concerning concealed firearms on Texas ' campuses) The armed campus website has a link so you can read the whole bill passed that becomes in effect August 1, 2016 for all state 4-year colleges and universities and August 1, 2017 for all state

For 226 years people have had the right to keep and bare arms. The second amendment guarantees you that right. If you are legally eligible to carry a weapon you should be able to carry it where ever you go. The article “Why Schools are Not Safer Without Concealed Handguns” states “This argument not only ignores the fact that, in the absence of metal detectors and X-ray machines at every campus entrance, students already have no way of knowing who, if anyone, is carrying gun; it also assumes that students would be made more uncomfortable by the presence of guns on campus than they are by the presence of guns off campus.” (Students for Gun-Free Schools 643).

controlled on each campus throughout the state. The University of Texas in Austin is one of the universities that is required to comply with the new regulation. After reading some articles discussing Campus Carry, I realized there were compelling arguments in support of and in opposition to this expansion of gun rights. While some students support Campus Carry, others are quite concerned and feel that it may very well threaten their safety. In this essay, I will analyze the arguments made in support and opposition to the law, how the law may affect the students and faculty on campus, and provide alternate solutions which could provide the desired result.

Guns are a huge aspect of the American culture; however, they have caused one of the largest issues the United States faces, which is how to regulate them. Although gun control and regulation is not a new topic the ability to carry a weapon on campus is. The passing of a law to allow Texas students to carry concealed weapons on campus has been a controversial social issue faced by the United States. Many causes of school shootings are because someone disagrees with another person views or beliefs. This is why the ability to carry concealed guns on campus should be allowed. By allowing students to have the ability to protect themselves at all-time it gives them a greater sense of freedom.

If you have kept up with all the controversy in the news, then it is surely fair to assume that you have an opinion over gun control. Gun control is a big deal because with so many people having them it can make individuals feel unsafe to leave their home or possibly even be in their homes. There is also the fear that individuals possess on the other end of the spectrum that if their guns are taken, how they will protect themselves from people whom wish to harm them. These questions and concerns rise from similar places. For instance, school or theater shootings are one source of the fears and questions. On one hand you have anti-gun protesters saying, “if there were no guns this couldn’t happen,” and on the other hand there are the pro-gun individuals saying that having more guns would give us the protection we need at schools amongst other places while still being able to feel secure in our homes. What will happen in the long run? I cannot say. However what we are going to discuss here is how Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois passed local laws banning the possession of handguns and what the court said in these two decisions, and the idea of making it harder for certain groups of people to purchase certain types of guns or whether the government needs to back off.

As we all know as of August 1, 2016, the new law “Campus Carry”, went into effect giving the right of a person that holds a license to carry can now carry on campus.

Campus carry is referred to as the act of possession of firearms on college or university campuses. The possessions of firearms and the when and where about of using them In general, has been an issue that has been debated on for many years in the United States. Because the issue has not been settled once and for all, some still refer to their second amendment right which was adopted on December 15, 1791, to the United States Constitution allowing citizens the right to “keep and bear arms”. Firearms are usually legally used in a controlled environment such as a firing range or on hunting land but since the past few years students and stuff have been allowed to carry guns on campus and 2004 Utah’s law became the first to prohibit public schools

Federally, there is nothing prohibiting or requiring the concealed carry of firearms by private citizens. But thus far, the executive actions taken by President Obama regarding our nation’s guns have been hinting toward a distrust in the people he stands to defend and protect. Albeit there will always be outliers and wrongdoers, the implementation of these policies can only reinforce their desire to cause harm to others. After all, “since 1950, all the multiple victim public shootings in the United States have taken place where guns are banned,” with the exception of only two. Gun-free zones have been proven targets for those looking to cause great harm and loss to our people, and with the current campus carry policies, my own university campus