Essay about Should Guns be Allowed on College Campuses?

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

Thirteen people were killed at Columbine High School in 1999, thirty-three died during the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, and twenty-seven people, twenty of whom were children no older than seven, were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 (Kirk). These name only a few of the larger and most well-known school shooting incidences. In total, 297 people have lost their lives due to school-based shootings since 1980 (Kirk). Although this number may be small in comparison to death by guns overall, these instances are completely unwarranted and it is likely that they could have been avoided or at the very least reduced. These people, college and high school students, teachers, and even children, might still be alive today if our

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.

Just a normal day in American schools. Children are in their classes, and all the sudden an armed man comes to the front doors of the school killing many innocent lives. In the United States, School shootings have become increasingly common. Shootings from my perspective are disgusting, and create such harm to the world. However, school shooting statistics show a growing trend in the United States

College is a time of rapid change in a young person’s life, it can be many things but most importantly it is a time where students start to truly grow into their academic abilities. All students deserve an equal chance to grow in a safe learning environment, but this is not always possible as our culture has become more violent in recent years. Campus carry laws will allow law abiding citizens to protect themselves in a sacred institution, which has seen significant rises in violence in recent years. Not every tragedy is preventable, but allowing a person who has a permit to carry their weapon at school can prevent future massacres.

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 of law focused approaches colleges should take a holistic view and move towards providing robust security programs, safety training, communication networks 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

“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.

There has been a various amount of debate between several groups of people and colleges, inquiring if they would feel comfortable with students having a handgun on college campuses. A few states in the U.S. have been thinking about allowing firearms in University campuses throughout America due to the increasing amount of assaults. Some of the states that are already allowing guns on school campus are Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. Although some individuals believe that having a gun on campus is a dreadful idea, some see it as a relief to their safety. It is known that a school’s first priority is to keep each and every student safe. Maintaining a safe environment in college or in any school is extremely necessary. In theory, if we start to allow the students and staff to carry weapons on school grounds they still need to learn how to use them appropriately, and be able to handle situations that get thrown their way. Students are put into situations where they have to stay up all night and do their school work. In addition to that, some actually have the responsibility to go to work. With that being said, in reality the students won’t have enough time to go through professional training to master the techniques on how to use guns responsibly like policemen and gain knowledge on how to react to extreme situations like they do.

Our future lies with today 's firearms and tomorrow 's safety. Due to the recent disturbance of crimes on campuses, many people who favor firearms have suggested that both the teachers and students should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon on college campuses. Those who are for this could claim that their rights to bear arms have been infringed because many campuses refuse to allow weapons. It is not the right to bear arms which is in debate here, but whether or not firearms should be allowed at a college. The Constitution already grants citizens the right to bear arms and I am by far no stranger to seeing a gun from time to time, but it is not suitable for a firearm to be seen in a susceptible area such as a college campus. There are already too many firearms available to the public and allowing them on an educational facility would greatly increase the possibility of injury or death. Citizens, as previously mentioned, have the right to bear arms and this should be held sacred, not infringed, taken away or limited. However, a more stringent firearm limitation should be implemented for those who chose to carry a concealed firearm. Firearm limitation should be done through a more stringent certification processes before a firearm permit is issued. Intensive psychological evaluations should be done for the person or persons applying for a gun permit or gun and greater educational requirements for gun owners and firearm safety.

Violence flourishes everywhere we go in today’s society. There is no way out and no way to escape it. Going to college, does not make you feel any safer than being outside of college. Mass shootings this year have increased, especially in school all over the United States. Even though, the shootings have been in most high schools, they can be on college campuses just as well. Gun concealment should be allowed on college campuses. We deserve the right to protect ourselves. We deserve to feel safe anywhere we go without any fear of harm. They cannot take the second amendment away from the people. Students and faculty need extra security when they cannot rely on the authorities to be there. Special requirements should be intact, but if concealing a gun to feel protected is strong, there will be no problem taking the requirements.

If there is a weapon in the classroom it is possible to be used accidentally or for suicide. There are cases where many innocent people were killed or injured in such shootings, and sometimes students are shot by other students. Parents also are concerned about their children when they go to school. Their children need educational materials, art and music programs, entertainment programs, and peaceful environment; they do not need more guns in their

If one wants to know if guns should be allowed on college campus think of this: When will the next college be hit? How many will get shot and killed? Will it be your kids? When is the last time you will be able to see your kids? Now since I got this running through your head don’t you think its right for college students to be able to carry a gun if they’re qualified?

The campus homicide rate is about 1 death per 1 million people, compared to 57 deaths per million in the general population. In the college-age population in general, moreover, homicide is the second leading cause of death, while on college campuses it remains a rare event.” So why is there a need for concealed carry on campus? College should be about teaching, learning, growing, and free thought; worrying about if the person you sit next to has a gun on them or not should not be. Students and teachers should be able to express themselves freely in classroom environments, where discussions often touch on controversial topics that arouse passion. The introduction of guns on campuses would create fear of possible

Guns in general with any human being in public place is quite dangerous especially with young anxious trying to fit in students. Unless an army officer, police officer and guards who are trained to use the weapons have it with them. Whenever we hear about the mass shooting taking place in schools, or universities personally, the simple question to ask is where the campus guards or police officer are? With the fast paced life homework, exams financial stress and also hate, depressions, loneliness on top of all these stressful things allowing students to carry gun can be fatal. Did anyone ask the professors or teachers how these students behave did they ever consider the age and their psychological well-being?

Are young adults in college capable of carrying an armed weapon responsibly? This debate about whether guns should be allowed on college campuses or not is commonly discussed and a huge concern mainly because education is important, not only to the students but also to the parents who are college graduates, and the presence of guns could potentially affect the way education is taught and learned. With that being said, there are many different sides to this issue and some include: casualties and shooting incidents are increasing, guns disrupting classroom discussions, guns being a piece of safety equipment, and how permit holders almost never abuse their rights. Young adults in college are better off not carrying a concealed weapon on campus because conflict may arise during classroom debates, most eighteen year old college students don’t know how to properly hold or operate a gun, and guns aren’t the solution to all types of violence.