Argumentative Essay On Concealed Weapons

Some people own a gun for their own safety. Yet, one of the things they can rely on for protection and defense may jeopardize many lives around them. A college campus is very populated which may increase the likelihood of a gun theft, and could fall into the wrong hands. Campuses provide security who are always ready and prepared for any danger, meaning it is avoidable for anyone other than them to carry weapons. Concealed carry is not appropriate on college campuses because nor is it only unnecessary, but may also result in a situation that can quickly escalate, creating a greater chance of causing more harm than not carrying a concealed weapon.

David Skorton and Glenn Altschuler’s article, mention that homicide is the second leading cause of death for college-age individuals. The article also brings up the Virginia Tech shooting and quoted David Bernett when he said “The current rules guarantee criminals a free shot. Allowing licensed concealed carry would give potential attackers pause and ultimately give innocent victims a fighting chance” (Paragraph 6). Although Bernett makes a good point, his argument is inadequate. Regina G. Lawson, who is the chief of police at Wake Forest University, made a smart remark, “When you’re responding to a situation like that, and someone’s in plain

clothes with a gun, who’s the bad guy? Who are you going to take out to save the lives of the ten thousand other students you’re trying to protect?” (Paragraph 10). Lawson mentions the risky chance that can result if a student tries to take out their gun to defend themselves. Although some might say that the innocent student can simply tell the officer that he is not the gunman, difficult to say whether or not the officer would take that chance.
Students for Gun-Free Schools wrote several good points on opposing carry concealed guns on college campuses in “Why Our Campuses Are Safer without Concealed Handguns.” They bring up that 93% of the violent crime that occur in college students’ lives happen off campus (Paragraph 4). The Students for Gun-Free Schools believe there’s more violence off campus rather than on campus is because of the 4,314 colleges and universities forbidding students and faculty from carrying concealed handguns on campus (Paragraph 3-4). It also raised some comments such as “Concealed Handguns Would Detract from a Healthy Living Environment” (Paragraph 6). It explains that students will be afraid to express themselves to those around them who have different opinions than them who also carry a weapon. A student should not be afraid to communicate their feelings freely to one another. Another point was how more guns on campus could increase the risk for students. Carrying a gun on campus can lead to it being stolen or land in the hands of a careless student due to drug abuse, which studies show about half of full-time college student’s abuse drugs. A gun in the hands of someone who is not mentally stable is just a disaster waiting to happen (Paragraph 8-9).
The Students for Concealed Carry wrote “Why Our Campuses Are Not Safer without Concealed Handguns.” They contradicted every point the essay that the Students for Gun-Free Schools wrote.

They don’t think it is the guns that are the problem but believe that it depends on the type of college ones attends. They argued against the topic that students feel uncomfortable in college with their peers carrying a gun. They say that there is much more pressure outside of college with tons of people with a gun, so college should be no different. College, as well as anywhere, is supposed to be an environment where students express themselves without the fear of being shot (paragraph

5).
Timothy Wheeler’s “There’s a Reason They Choose Schools” talks about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research, explaining that health-experts tend to focus on the guns and not the people who misuse them. It brought up the Virginia Tech shooting and the gunman Seung-Hui Cho, whose actions were results of school-related grudges (Paragraph 2). Sheldon Greenberg, a dean at John Hopkins, believes that if guns are allowed on college campus, students could have defended themselves and maybe less people would have died (Paragraph 3). Although carrying a gun may seem to stop the shooter from killing in those situations, it can as well be very risky. First, one does not know how sufficiently trained the students are in gun safety and defense. Inadvertently, they may hurt other students, thus it is safer that the proper authorities who are trained, to use the gun. Second, they do not know the mental state of the shooter, meaning that if someone does shoot the gunman and misses, it can infuriate them to act more violently. “Ready, Fire, Aim: The College Campus Gun Fight.” mentions that these shootings usually involve a mentally ill attacker.
While carrying a concealed gun may give one a false sense of security, while in reality it increases the risk of harm. Although people like Sheldon Greenberg believe that guns are there to protect people, they seem to avoid discussing the risky actions that could lead to these consequences such as harming others. Whether it’s from college students abusing drugs or the possibility of guns being stolen, guns on college campuses are a recipe for disaster.