More Guns Does Not Mean Less Shootings After shootings on college campuses occur for example the Virginia Tech massacre, the Kentucky State shootings, and the Northern Illinois University shooting, many people started to question the safety of the students. Many college students came up with the bright idea that bringing concealed guns to school will help them protect themselves from possible shootings and some are lobbying for it to become legal in colleges that don’t allow it. However, allowing students to carry guns on school campuses will not make it safer. In fact, it will do the opposite. If concealed guns were permitted on college campuses it would create an unhealthy, paranoid environment that students don’t feel safe in. There are …show more content…
However, their statement is not backed up by any proof as said by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), “There is no credible statistical evidence demonstrating that the presence of students carrying concealed weapons would reduce violence on our college campuses…In fact, the evidence suggests that permissive concealed carry laws generally will increase crime” (Dickerson 3). The population of colleges are mostly students that are 24 or under, which is the around the age the brain usually stops growing. (Dickerson 5) “As Dr. Ken Winters of University of Minnesota has explained, ‘By age 18, the adolescent’s judgment for structured challenges is roughly equal to that of adults. But judgment that involves resisting impulses or delaying gratification is still under construction during late adolescence and early adulthood’ ” (Dickerson 5). Some would argue that since 18 is the age that one can marry, join the military, adopt a child, and do other “adult” responsibilities, students in college should be able to protect themselves with guns. However, looking at what Dr. Winters said, the majority of college students are not ready to have that kind of responsibility since they can be unpredictable and do tend to do more things on impulses. If they were allowed to have guns on campuses, people on campus would be in danger. On top of the fact that their brains haven’t finished growing, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University say “ ‘[N]early half of America’s full-time college students abuse drugs and drink alcohol on binges at least once a month.’ Another study found that alcohol is involved in 95% of the violent crime on campus” (Students 3). Combining alcohol, drugs and guns could lead to a tremendous increase of deadly violence on
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.
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.
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
“Your rights shouldn’t change as you step on campus…” Crayle Vanest, Students For Concealed Carry states. If you have your concealed licenses permit you should be able to carry your firearm onto campus. I see college campuses being extremely vulnerable to mass shooting because of the lack of firearms. It is argued that college students would be dangerous if they were allowed to conceal carry on campus, and it would be more of a risk. In my opinion campuses would be safer if students were legally able to conceal carry. In order to have a conceal carry licenses you have to go to class to obtain that. If a student is of age and has their conceal carry licenses permit they shouldn’t be limited to certain places that they are able to carry their
The mainstream media leads many to believe that mass shootings on college campuses are very common, and are in despite need of gun reform. This is actually false information, the truth is that campuses and other schools are among the safest places in America. According to recent studies, the actual homicide rates on campuses are one in one million, considerably less than the nationwide average of fifty-seven million. In addition, other crimes are still proven to be less likely to happen at colleges, rather than in common rural areas. And in most
Annale Renneker also discusses why concealed carry is necessary on college campuses today. Most college campuses are “open”, meaning that practically anyone can walk on to them and many buildings do not have metal detecters or security guards (Renneker 1). She cites the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy where the shooter was not even a student at the college, he simply walked on campus undetected and shot and killed 33 people before killing himself (Renneker 4). It is not difficult for one to enter a college campus and cause harm with a firearm if they intend to do so, anyone who has been on a public American college or university campus has seen non-students passing through at some point. She also cites the Department of Homeland Security’s
More guns on campus would create little if any additional risk for students: The SCCC counter acts the four risky points that SGFS brought up among college students: (1) The prevalence of drugs and alcohol; (2) The risk of suicide and mental health issues; (3) the likelihood of gun thefts, and (4) An increased risk of accidental shooting. The SCCC states that the SGFS failed to mention the no reports of any kind of incidents related to those four high risk issue over the 100 semesters of the allowance of the concealed weapon on campuses. Furthermore, students who are listed under these four concerns issue are those under age of 21, whereas, concealed carriers are only allowed for those 21 or over. Therefore, their point of putting students through greater risks is
We all hear about mass shooting where a number of people are killed and we pray that we are never caught in a situation like the one at Virginia Tech or Oikos University. But the likelihood that it happens at your school, your kids school, or your friends school is at an all time high. From 2000 to 2010 nearly 70 people were killed in college campus shootings in the United States. This number more than doubles the number of killing from the 25 years prior to 2000. Not only are their more shooting but there are a proliferating number of sexual assaults happening on college campuses, in 2009 alone the number of sexual assault on college campuses was nearly 2,600 (Arrigo 120). This combined with mass media coverage has generated passionate debates on how to best stop mass shootings and other violent crimes on college campuses. Many pro-gun activists have started to push for and endorse bills allowing students and faculty to conceal carry handguns on campuses. Campus-carry is a relatively new phenomenon and there is little to no evidence to corroborate the idea that it increases campus security. Those who have not gone through rigorous instructional courses, like police officers, will be unable to stop a mass shooting, sexual assaults, or other violent crimes on college campuses. Instead, allowing students to carry will increase crime rates on campuses and will result in more fatalities due to guns(Ultius). This is why students should not be
The idea of Concealed Carry arms at universities is a controversial topic for both students and faculty on whether guns should be allowed or banned on campuses throughout the United States. The idea of Concealed Carry Arms is a controversial topic because it represents both protection and fear as no one knows who has a weapon, whether they have it legally or even if they know how to use it properly and safely. Also, nobody knows of someone else’s intentions with Concealed Carry Arms as they could use that gun for protection or murder. The idea of allowing Concealed Carry Arms on campus is a controversial topic that could affect universities and campuses in the United States.
Is campus carry truly effective in decreasing gun violence on campus? Or does it, instead, pose a threat to students and faculty? The campus carry law refers to the policies that allow appropriately licensed students and faculty to carry a handgun on campus as long as the gun is hidden from sight. Several states, including Texas, have passed concealed carry; as a result, polarizing debates have ensued over the effectiveness of the law. Shootings have been occurring at institutions of higher education since the early 20th century (Cobb 35). The first incident of campus shooting occurred at the University of Texas in 1966, by a student named Charles Whitman. Since then, there has been several other university shootings, and they have become more frequent within the last two decades. As a result of this, as well as other shooting incidents such as, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Oregon Mall, and Aurora movie theater, in recent years, the debate over allowing concealed carry on campus has gained a lot of momentum with very conflicting opinions. Proponents of concealed carry consider it to be the best answer to decrease the injuries and casualties of a gun related incident, while opponents consider allowing firearms on campus a threat to the safety of campus constituents. Agreeing with opponents of campus carry, I believe by allowing the concealed carry of firearms on campus, we are potentially compromising the safety of students and faculty, thus universities should push for
Firearms are a very profound subject to speak about due to violence and other issues behind them. College students are already aroused and stressed to do extraordinary in their courses. Would consenting untrained students to carry concealed weapons around campus be such an enticing idea, when at any moment someone could lose their mind and go on a shooting rage? One may never know what kind of background that specific being that carries a concealed firearm has. In reality no one knows what kind of effect this would have towards universities or college campuses, but it could result in a students’ academic performance. Weapons on university campuses would create a vast interference towards the education of college students; an individual might never know who is carrying a concealed weapon or what that person might organize to do. Students would be alarmed to speak up in class or anywhere around the campus for that matter. Concealed Weapon Carry should not be allowed in universities because students are immature, it would be a risky environment, and permit holders are not always lawful citizens.
One important group in the controversy over campus carry rights are gun rights activists. Because these people believe guns should be allowed on campus, they tend to say that these beliefs promote safety on campus. Furthermore, because they care about college students, the. Jason Russell graduated from the University of Rochester and is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner. His point of view on this controversy is that he wants everyone to carry guns for protection on campus. He recently argued that campus carry should be universally legalized in his article, “Should Guns Be Allowed on College Campuses?”, the principal claim is, “taking away guns... won 't rid the world of criminality.” He supports this argument with one main reason: the fact that concealed carry would have helped victims in many situations. For instance, when saying that concealed carry can protect students, he writes about a victim of rape who said “all I wanted was a chance to effectively defend myself.” And when
“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.