Why Should Students Be Allowed To Carry Concealed Weapons 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

Every day parents send their children off to school with the expectation that they will be returned home safely at the end of the day. However, with an ever increasing number of school shootings some parents are pulling their children out of school because they feel as if school can no longer offer the same sense of security as they once had. Some schools are pressing for the right for school instructors to carry a loaded weapon on campus. School instructors should be allowed to carry a loaded weapon on campus because it helps prevent school shootings, it protects them during school shootings, and gives students and staff an added sense of security.

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.

With backpacks in tow and pencils in hand, college students crisscross campus with stress of acing the test, hardly thinking about their safety. This was the case on a clear Tuesday at the University of Texas on September 28th, 2010. Students fled from a mask gunman carrying an AK-47 and shooting randomly around campus. Nineteen-year-old Colton Tooley, wearing a black mask, eventually killed himself in the library. Remarkably, no one else was injured or killed. (MSNBC) This was not the case in 1966 when 16 people where killed with 32 injured by a gunman in the UT clock tower. The debate still wages on to allow concealed guns to be carried on college campus in Texas despite a recent bill that failed to pass. The US Constitutional Second

In the past years, there have been many cases of school shootings injuring and killing many students. With these cases came the argument of having concealed weapons in schools in order for the teachers or students in college to protect and defend themselves and others when the time came. While some argue that it is the best way to keep everyone safe and how it is our right to bear arms, others will agree that it may just cause more shootings and more deaths. Concealed weapons should not be allowed in colleges, because it will make them available for students who should not have a weapon, having weapons does not mean people are willing and able to use it, and lastly because accidents can occur when least expected.

It seems that tragedy and violence across America are becoming all too common in our daily news. Even more tragic is when it is at a school. With the increase in violence across America, it is opening the door to the question of should college campuses allow concealed guns on campus? Allowing concealed guns on campuses is something that may come true at public colleges across Georgia. Recently, the Georgia senate passed a bill by 37-17 that would allow gun owners 21 and over to carry concealed weapons on public college campuses. If Governor Nathan Deal approves the bill it will go into effect (The Associated Press). While some feel this could potentially open the door to more violence, others believe this will give them the ability to protect themselves should the need arise.

Students and staff with guns are not only a danger to other people, intentions malicious or not, but also to themselves. Students under high stress and emotional distress in general do not need to be around tools that can cause so much harm with so little effort. This argument, with the resounding knowledge of the high use of mind altering drugs on college campuses, mixed with the statistics surrounding the unhealthy psyche of students should be enough to show that campus carry is a bad

A graduate student leaving an evening class walks along the poorly lit sidewalk to the parking lot—it is a long, cold walk in the pitch-black night, and the student grows wary as shadows begin lurking in the distance. Suddenly, someone jumps out in front of the student, immediately threatening her with force. Before the student can react, she is raped and robbed. This is a very scary scenario, and one that happens on the SCSU campus every year. It seems like every week we get an e-mail citing another attack on students somewhere on or near campus. However, all of these attacks could be prevented if we allow students to carry guns as a means of self-defense.

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

Gun ownership is on the rise and even college students want firearms now. Since 1999 college students owning firearms for protection has increased over 19 percent (DiMauro 17). With this rise whether or not these numbers should increase has become a heated issue. As of now 26 colleges allow concealed carry on campuses, totaling in over 70 campuses(Burnett) and many others are in consideration. Organizations such as Students for Concealed Carry are at work to educate the public on the truths of how on campus carry would to some degree benefit college students, professors, and all visitors. Firearms can be and should be allowed on college campuses primarily because it is a not only a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution but also

Concealed weapons on college campuses has become a widely popular, controversial topic over the years. Through gathered research, there has been a discovery of in depth data and statistics from opinions of faculty and administrators from American colleges and universities. According to the scholarly journal, “Packing Heat: Attitudes Regarding Concealed Weapons on College Campuses” recorded a study that examined college students and faculty opinions about guns being prohibited on college campuses. During the fall of 2008 and spring 2009 over 2,100 students and faculty members participated in this research. (Patten, Thomas, and Wada, 551). This research concludes that students carrying concealed weapons on campus would make the students and faculty

Student protection is the main reason supporters advocate for teachers to carry concealed weapons in school. However, students don’t want firearms on school grounds. In a survey conducted by DoSomething.org, seven out of ten students said they would feel less safe with a firearm in the building. At Texas A&M, 57% of the students enrolled voted against teachers carrying weapons. Also, students are safe at school already, 93% of violence against college students happens off campus (Huffington Post, Students Don’t Want It).

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.

“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 have been 205 school shootings in America since 2013. This is a fact that has many people worried, and many people have tried coming up with ways to prevent these school shootings, or to at least defend themselves. Many say that people should be allowed to carry a gun with them, and in some states, there are laws that let them do this called open carry laws where they can carry a gun in public. But is this the right solution to gun violence? Many people ask this question and try to come up with other solutions. Students should not be allowed to carry guns for three reasons. The first being that it could make it easier for real shooters to have a gun, the second reason is that these people who have guns looking to defend themselves could