The Importance Of Weapons On College Campus

David Skorton and Glenn Altschuler wrote the essay “Do We Really Need More Guns on Campus.” This essay focus on the guns on campus controversy. There are two sides that the authors explain: the side in favor and the side against. Every side has points to think about it. For example, some reasons to be against the conceal are the fights, the lack of experience and the drug abuse. The side in favor has good reason too, as the importance to stop a mass shooting, the right to bear arms and the secure feeling that the gun give.

A major issue in the United States is gun control. Due to multiple mass shootings in schools and public areas, restrictions regarding guns have been implemented across the United States. Andrew Parks, a student at The University of Alabama, wrote an article against gun restrictions. His article, “The University should allow concealed carry,” supports the idea of college campuses like The University of Alabama, allowing students to conceal carry firearms. In an article written by Jennie Kushner, the opinions of students on the University of Alabama’s Police Department’s gun policy are presented. The safety of student body relies on the students’ feeling safe. That safety comes from less gun control laws and policies on campus. Each of the articles stated provides information against gun control in different ways.

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.

Throughout its history, the United States has had a fascination with guns. Americans have used guns in times of war, for protection, and for hunting. Americans also use guns when they are intent on killing people. When violence happens in school shootings, drive-by shootings, assassination of public officials, or in the workplace and shopping malls, Americans demand something be done. This demand fuels the debate between gun rights and gun control activists. It fuels the debate over the interpretation of the Second Amendment. It fuels the debate on allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons in gun-free zones. This makes us ask the question: Should guns be banned from college

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.

Students and members of the faculty that hold a current Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) should be permitted to carry their weapon on college campuses if they so choose. Notably, holders of CWPs are on average more responsible and safe than other members of society. Smith asserts that “People with concealed carry licenses are 5.7 times less likely to be arrested for violent offenses than the general public [as well as] 13.5 times less likely to be arrested for non-violent offenses than the general public.”

The college campus in United State should prohibit carrying concealed guns for students’ safety. Because people rarely arm themselves for deter criminals, the responsibility should be left to official police rather than normal citizen. In addition, carrying concealed gun not only cause fear among non carrying population, but also cause higher risk of being killed or injury since criminals can legally holding concealed guns. So until the government published a more deliberate and suitable policy, the government should rethink about the consequence of permitting concealed guns, and have reaction towards the potential threat. For now, we’d better prohibit concealed guns on campus for students’ self security

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%.

What balance is there between the second amendment rights and public safety? Should there be gun restrictions of where they could be carried? Are college students safer if they are allowed to carry guns on campus? This issue of whether guns should be allowed on college campuses has been an ongoing national debated. In the essay “Do We Really Need More Guns on Campus” from the book Patterns, David Skorton and Glenn Altschuler discuss how the campus community is considerably safer if there's a ban on guns on campus.

There are several debates among people that remain in a repetitive and vicious cycle of what is right, and what is wrong. Concealed carry on college campuses is one of those noticeable arguments. As the years pass by, gun rights on college campuses have become a touchy subject that is normally avoided at dinner tables and formal events. The laws concerning concealed carry on college campuses vary from state to state, and also from campus to campus. Several factors about concealed carry either have people uneasy while others adamantly fight for more gun rights on college campuses and universities. Should concealed carry be allowed on campus, and are people taking into account school violence, learning environment, crime, student’s safety and constitutional rights?

On August 1, 2016, students and faculty alike of universities in several states had their lives changed forever. Their safety became more endangered than ever when the most harmful law was passed, the allowance of open carry on college campuses. The state with the most argument over the law is Texas. Texas campuses now believe that having the campus carry policy will cause more young adults to want to attend that university because they are able to protect themselves. However, the campus carry law has caused Texas universities to make students, faculty, and the community feel unsafe in their “home” by making gun-related injuries more accessible to cause to those who feel the need to cause harm.

“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.

Gun control has been the highlight of discussion amongst most politicians and civilians for the past few decades, but a sub-topic has emerged from this, guns on campus in the form of a bill in the form of a bill from the Florida Legislature. This bill states that those who have a concealed weapons licenses may carry concealed guns on any campus in the state of Florida. It entitles students, visitors, and even employees above the age of 18 to carry guns openly with them on school grounds, those over the age of 21 may carry concealed weapons. Eight million concealed carry permits are as of now valid throughout the United States, meaning anybody, mentally stable or not, could be carrying a weapon we cannot see, not only on school grounds, but

Guns are a threat to student’s safety. In some states, a background check is not required to purchase a gun. This allows many mentally unstable people an opportunity to commit violent crimes. Once someone has a gun, they can easily abuse its power. To illustrate, Handgun license holders are more of a danger, rather than an aid to the community (Students for Gun-free Schools 637). Specifically, A gun owner can cause others to feel threatened. When this occurs, the gun owner can easily terrorize others. They can hold any civilian at gunpoint and force them to obey their demands. In particular, Students for Gun-free Schools mention, “Between January and August 31, 2001, Texas concealed handgun license holders were arrested for 5,314 crimes - including murder, rape, kidnapping, and theft” (638). Therefore, Those who own guns are the majority of those who commit crimes. Since criminals get a sense of power from these deadly weapons, they should remain off of school grounds. Students do not need to carry guns and intimidate their peers. Guns are a threat to student’s