On September 17, 2006, a gunman shot and wounded five Duquesne University basketball players after a school dance; this is the first shooting at this university in its 128 years. On April 16, 2007, a gunman killed at least 33 people in the Virginia Tech Massacre. On February 14, 2008, a man shot and killed five students in a Northern Illinois University lecture hall (Brady Campaign, 2012). Due to the dispute that has surrounded guns and violence on campuses in the recent years, the question of whether or not individuals on campuses should carry firearms is a controversial debate. Two major perspectives delineate this matter; one side feels as though allowing guns on campus is a basic right. The other side feels as though banning guns on campus would reduce the amount of violence (AASCU Government Relations, 2017). Universities should not permit guns on college campuses.
Arguments For and Against
According to Birnbaum (2013), those in favor of more guns side with the premise that self-defense is a right that every person has, regardless if they find themselves on a college campus. This perspective takes the focus off mass shootings and instead focuses on the basic rights of the individual. According to Gilbert (2017), the ability to carry a concealed weapon on campus would not really affect the outcome of a mass shooting. “I think the focus on mass shootings distracts us from the best arguments for campus carry, which should be primarily about the individual right
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.
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.
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.
If college campuses legalize the right to obtain a concealed weapon there could a risk of escalation in violence on college campuses. Allowing college students to carry a concealed weapon on campus makes for many opportunities of potential misuse of the weapon. According to the Journal of American College Health, most college students don't have experience shooting or holding a gun, therefore, they could make a mistake and unintentionally harm somebody or even themselves. Granting college students access to guns will pose increased risks of incidents of self-injury, accidental shootings and even murders. The University of Louisiana system shows that evidence also indicates that the presence of concealed weapons on campus would increase the likelihood of
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
About 4,400 colleges and universities in the United States forbid the carrying of guns on their campuses (“Colleges”). With more and more shootings on campuses, especially with the tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2006, the states are starting to rethink their position on whether guns should be allowed on campuses; especially in Texas, where Texans are known for their guns. Even with a state like that, however, the questions still remain: Will allowing students with guns make campuses a safer environment? Will it make students feel safer? As most controversial issues goes, there are two sides to the debate.
Although most colleges allow students to bring guns on campus they do not allow them to be brought into class or administrative buildings. Many gun advocates would like to see gun normalized everywhere and a good way to that is to implement that is when people are young and developing their values and understanding of the world. The passing of campus carry laws have exploded in recent years favoring strong proponents the theory, if we provide the law to allow students and faculty to carry we remove gun free zones. Therefore protecting the population on campuses with the thinking that mass shooters prey on those schools with gun free zones. Several of the deadliest
These images bring two sides of debate to the table. The first believe by allowing more people to carry guns on campus, the likelihood of someone attacking the campus would be very unlikely. This group also stands behind the Second Amendment, stating the right to self defense. The second group advocates that it would stifle the learning curve. A person may be afraid to open a debate in fear of the person pulling a gun if they disagree. They also believe that if an incident should occur, there would be a mass confusion on who
In the United States of America, there is a rising epidemic happening and its gun violence and the violence will not only rise, but triple if guns are permitted on college campuses and inevitably cause a ripple of issues. With several campus shootings, the most fatal being in 2007, the shooting that occurred at Virginia Tech University, a number of states are pushing harder to consider legislation about whether or not to permit concealed guns on college campuses and to obliterate the existing firearm regulations. This is not Colleges and Universities purpose; they’re for learning and experiences and amongst other things, not about guns. Students and faculty should not be allowed to carry firearms onto college campuses, firearms are illegal on most campuses, and that is how it should remain. In 2015, the number of colleges and universities in the United
In the past, there have been several shootings in schools across the nation. However, the students and staffs are questioning should the concealed weapon permit carriers have firearms in their possession on college campuses. Even though concealed weapon permit carriers are protecting themselves from harm by having their firearms; still other people are raising their eyebrows. On the other hand, there are other people who think carrying concealed weapons on campuses will cause more harm and the death toll will rise. As Time. Com writer Josh Sanburn points out that “the shooting at Umpqua Community College on Oct. 1, which claimed 10 lives including the gunman, is by far the worst incident on a college campus this year” (qtd. in Sanburn). Therefore,
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%.”
Colleges should not be allowed to take away your personal protection unless they can provide a truly safe environment for students. Sadly, most campuses can’t guarantee that assaults won’t occur, so people must be allowed to arm themselves for protection. While some schools have security or law enforcement, rarely can they reach the scene of an assault fast enough to prevent it. If the victim or a bystander has a self-defense weapon, there is a much greater possibility of stopping the attack. Attackers also avoid areas that allow firearms, and knowingly target places that don’t allow them. On October 9th, the Crime Prevention Research Center released a revised report showing that 92% of mass public shootings between January 2009 and July 2014 took place in gun-free zones. If college campuses nationwide reflected on the findings of this report, it would become apparent that allowing concealed weapons on campuses would significantly lower the odds of attacks occurring. Campuses that allow conceal carry are utilizing one of the biggest measures to deter assaults. According to John R. Lott Jr., PhD, "when states passed concealed carry laws during the years we studied (1997-2005), the number of multiple-victim campus shootings declined by 84%. Deaths from these shootings plummeted on average by 90%, injuries by 82%.
Colleges should not be allowed to take away your personal protection unless they can provide a truly safe environment for students. Sadly, most campuses can’t guarantee that assaults won’t occur, so people must be allowed to arm themselves for protection. While some schools have security or law enforcement, rarely can they reach the scene of an assault fast enough to prevent it. If the victim or a bystander has a self-defense weapon, there is a much greater possibility of stopping the attack. Attackers also avoid areas that allow firearms, and knowingly target places that don’t allow them. On October 9th, the Crime Prevention Research Center released a revised report showing that 92% of mass public shootings between January 2009 and July 2014 took place in gun-free zones. If college campuses nationwide reflected on the findings of this report, it would become apparent that allowing concealed weapons on campuses would significantly lower the odds of attacks occurring. Campuses that allow conceal carry are utilizing one of the biggest measures to deter assaults. According to John R. Lott Jr., PhD, "when states passed concealed carry laws during the years we studied (1997-2005), the number of multiple-victim campus shootings declined by 84%. Deaths from these shootings plummeted on average by 90%, injuries by 82%.
Since the beginning of public education, there have been heinous crimes on the campuses of the schools. These crimes have taken place everywhere, from Columbine High School all the way to a classroom on the Virginia Tech campus. To be more specific the most devastating crime that can take place on a collegiate campus is a mass shooting. So, with more and more states beginning to allow those who possess a conceal carry permit, to carry at more places throughout the state. The question is asked, should college campuses allow students to carry a concealed handgun, while attending class. Some will say that there are already solutions in place; but, these solutions are not effective. The answer is yes, allowing students to carry is the only way to deter mass shootings on a college campus. Now some may ask, “What exactly is concealed carry?” Furthermore, more restaurants and places of work are beginning to allow employees and customers to enter with their concealed weapon. With the crime rate on the rise at most college campuses, campuses should consider allowing students to carry concealed weapons to deter crime.
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