August 1st, 2016 marked the first day the campus carry law was put into effect in Texas. The campus carry law basically says that the carrying of concealed handguns will be allowed on campuses just as long as the carrier is a licensed weapon holder in the state of Texas, and twenty one years or older. The campus carry law has had many proponents for and against it, specifically; many students and faculty members have cited their concern and discontent for it. The law goes all the way back to the Virginia Tech massacre of 2007 when Seung Hui Cho opened fire on the Virginia Tech campus brutally killing 33 and injuring 17. The attack left a lasting impact on America as many tried to cope with what had happened; as a result many states began to …show more content…
The main concerns were with safety, as many are apprehensive of accidental shootings as well as the uncertainties of the mental incapabilities of those who will be operating and handling the weapons. In addition, many believe that the campus carry law will have negative effects surrounding the atmosphere of the school, such as students and faculty at the University of Texas at San Antonio. One of the biggest problems or areas of concern is that the school believes that the “Top tier status” of the school might be affected because they believe their safety is threatened leaving a hostile learning environment on campus . Notably, the President of the University, Ricardo Romo, has also stated his discontent as he said that “Campus carry is a distraction from our mission of providing excellence to our students and our community.” (Athey). So, I believe that the campus carry law will have overall negative effects on the learning environment on schools in Texas like the University of Texas at San …show more content…
One of the biggest fears with this idea is the fact that one in four college students suffers from some sort of mental illness like depression or anxiety, as college is a stressful environment for many young people. The burden of doing well in school can cause tension/stress to build up in one's life, sometimes leading some to take drastic measures such as suicide; the third leading cause of death among college students ( Kerr, George) . So, this problem allows for students with mental in capabilities to have the ability to carry out suicide if they desired to do so. One of the many flaws against the campus carry policy is that it does absolutely nothing to combat this issue, similar to the easy ability for people to purchase guns in America. There are not that many precautions or rules that are put into place when it comes to the topic of selling or purchasing of guns because all you really need is to fill out a background check, questionnaire, and provide some sort of identification. More often than not it is easy to pass with these credentials and purchase a weapon, thus making it easy for harm to done. Sometimes if the buyer has severe mental in capabilities the outcome can be detrimental, similar to the Virginia Tech perpetrator who was mentioned earlier. Seung Hui Cho had suffered from selective mutism and severe episodes of
In “Stop Worrying About Guns in the Classroom. They’re Already here.” the author, Erik Gilbert, argues in favor of the law allowing the concealed carry of firearms in college campuses. Gilbert claims that it’s futile to be “worried by the prospect of having guns in [the] classroom” because he believes that even before the bill was passed, some students and faculty were already carrying firearms to campus (Gilbert). Furthermore, he insinuates that despite the presence of firearms, there were no incidents of student or faculty causing harm. To support his argument, the author provides incidents which have occurred over the last decade at his campus, such as accidental discharge of guns in dorms, firearms in student’s vehicles, and one faculty member who was discovered to be in possession of a gun in an on-campus facility. Considering these incidents and previous knowledge of “prevailing regional attitudes towards guns”, the author assumes that significant numbers of students, and possibly faculty, bring guns on campus regularly (Gilbert). As for those who are afraid due to the new law, he declares to them that firearm permit-holders are not dangerous by comparing the rate of their crimes to that of police officers. He also reasons that permit holders need to be at least 21 to qualify—claiming that the more mature students qualify—and have background checks performed.
Concealed weapons on college campuses have been a debatable issue for a long time now. “Statistically, colleges and universities are relatively safe environments for students, faculty, and administrators”, but will concealed carry affect this (Kirszner and Mandell, 626)?Supporters argue that being able to carry a concealed weapon lowers the percentage of shooting or accidents and that it is simply constitutional to have the right to bear arms. On the other hand, non-supporters believe that this will affect the way of learning in school, and raise anxiety. While it is true that having a concealed weapon can make the person holding it feel safe, we should not allow it because it may bring more negative rather than positive things into the college campuses.
People who disagree with me think that there should be concealed gun carry on college campuses because it will make the students safer in a risky situation by making the students able to shoot down and stop the shooter. Students for Concealed Carry, an organization for concealed gun carry on campus, say, “The crux of the SGFS essay is the undeniable fact that college campuses typically have lower crime rates than the cities in which they reside” (642). In “Why Our Campuses Are Safer Without Concealed Handguns”, an article against concealed handgun carry, states that, “Our colleges and universities are safe sanctuaries for learning.” (633).
While the opposing team fears that this law may bring more deaths, and will not solve any issues but create new ones, as well as make campuses an unsafe place for students and faculty. Majority of the students who attended universities or in general do not have a licenses to carry a weapon, but that still does not stop how unsafe people feel in classrooms, or in their dorms. In my opinions I am someone who oppose the campus carry law. I believe that weapons bring nothing but danger and fear, and many other students and professors feel the same way. I feel that if I ever got into a heated conversation with someone in a classroom or any place on campus and they had a weapon one them, but I or anyone else did not know, any situation could occur where my life or anyone else’s life would be in danger. I agree that It would limit me to talk freely and it would I feel that it is going against our First Amendment, which is the freedom of speech. I am glad that right now I am attending a community college, and campus carry will not be effective on my campus until next year in 2017. I didn’t know much about the campus carry law until I started reading about it, and it is very saddening to think that many of us Texans did not want this law to be passed and that we fought with many protests and letters, but yet the Texas Legislature did not listen to the voices that are actually suppose to matter, which is the peoples voice, but instead to choose to pass the law anyway due to some votes made by the House of Representatives. That is just some parts I feel that our government is flawed, we are the people and what we say should go, but our government is very strict and conservative. The campus carry law
Take the White House for example, the building is protected from every angle by firearms and there have been few people to make it across the grounds. Then take San Bernardino for example, they had no firearms in the building and the place was attacked and many people lost their live.
Why would a student feel the need to carry a concealed weapon on campus? After all they’re headed to a “school” not a war zone. Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin are the only states that allow concealed weapons on campus. Arizona and other states let schools decide the policy on weapons. Many states prohibited concealed weapons on campus which is the right choice. Most colleges who allow their students to carry concealed weapons increase the chances of violence on campus. College students must be unable to carry concealed weapons on
Since the time we are born until the moment we die we are taught to follow a specific routine in our lives without questioning the why or the consequences our actions bring. During that course humans tend to become so familiar with our routines that when an unexplained incident occurs, we panic because it is something we’ve never been exposed to, an example to this are the killings of innocent people whom we care for in environments where security and education are supposed to be the priority. In our eyes campuses are supposed to be protected by those who wear uniforms and are trained professionals that are ready to deal with such situations, so why allow a law that will grant any civilian the right to carry guns on campus,
Gun-control laws are a very controversial topic right now in the U.S., especially when it comes to allowing concealed-carry holders on college campuses. Nevertheless, guns should be permitted for concealed carry on college campuses if the carriers have concealed-carry licenses because mass shootings occur mostly in gun-free zones. There have been many incidents in which concealed-carry holders have disarmed attackers, and concealed-carry holders are overwhelmingly law-abiding citizens. However, the argument’s opponents believe guns should not be allowed on college campuses for various reasons, including: professors might be afraid to issue bad grades, a gun may go off by accident, college
College is seen as the beginning of young adult life, but campus crime can prevent the continuation of that life.Yet, campuses still prohibit students from carrying essential self defense weapons. This is most likely due to their ignorance of the benefits involved with allowing campus carry. Campus carry improves the overall environment of a college and promotes safety. Students should be allowed to carry guns on campus due to the current lack of protection offered through the university and an individual’s lawful right, despite the belief that it would cause an escalation in violent crime.
Did you know that open carry has been allowed in all 50 states since 2013? However only a small number of college campuses allow for open carry on their school campus. There are numerous reasons that open carry should be allowed on campus. Some of which are: in case of an active shooter there will be less death,there is increased safety among the public, and there is a decrease
Concealed weapons in college campus’s have been a big issue since the mass shootings in Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois Universities. Allowing for guns to be allowed in college campus’s would be a bad thing to do since it would create additional risks for students, even if weapons were allowed it wouldn’t deter the shooter, and it would detract from a healthy learning environment. So far there is only five states , Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin, that allow “concealed carry” at school campus.
Guns should be banned from all college campuses nationwide. Many students, teachers, and college presidents strongly oppose hidden, loaded guns on campuses because it will lead to increased violence, accidental shootings, and the non-carrying public would feel unsafe around the carrying public. If all elementary to high schools have a strict ban on guns for their campuses, it seems logical to extend the ban up to higher education. Now that it is more common for students in high school to take dual classes on a college campus, extending would ensure safety of the minors. Guns have a purpose at other arenas, but on a campus that is intended for learning and education it would be best to keep
Over the past few years, campus police around the country have been given the responsibility of holstering a firearm. This has mainly been because of the increase in shootings at universities and schools, such as Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary. The possible danger of campuses being attacked by hostile individuals is a very high priority to school boards and universities. They do not want their students harmed, injured, or feeling unsafe around campus in any way. Because of this, measures have been taken to create a safer campus environment. Some of the methods include keeping the university aware of potential threats, informing them of the university’s safety decisions, and having safety services constantly available. One major safety decision that was discussed around universities, particularly the University of Rhode Island, was the option to arm campus police.
Due to the recent disruption of violent crimes on campus, many citizens that are pro-gun activist have suggested that both the students and teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on school campuses. Those who are with guns allowed on school campuses claim that their rights have been violated for the reason that many college campuses refuse to allow weapons of any kind on their property. The Constitution of The United States of America already grants citizens the right to carry guns with them. It is not appropriate for guns to be in a vulnerable area such as a college campus or any University. There are already too many guns available to the public or easy to get any kind of gun, and allowing them on
It was scorching. I could feel the sweat dripping off my face as I tried to take notes. The graffitied walls, the roof, the door… Everything was made of metal, and I felt like a bird trapped in a cage. The teacher called out forty names, but only fifteen answered.