Essay On Mass Shooting

Sandy Hook Elementary, Virginia Tech University, Columbia High School-what do all these schools have in common? If an individual guessed excellence in academics or great success in athletics, he or she guessed wrong. Sadly, the common factor in these three schools is that each of them has been a victim of a mass shooting. Any man, woman, or even child can see that this is becoming a major issue in America. In a time like today, more and more active shooters are popping up everywhere on America’s college campuses; therefore, the issue, “should students be able to carry guns on campus” keeps reoccurring.
When these mass school shootings occur, people have no form of self-defense. People are only able to call the police after they find out that

the school is being attacked by a shooter. When the shooter comes into the classroom, the only thing a person can attempt to do is negotiate with the shooter. If the shooter is out of his or her mind and on a mission like most shooters are, talking will be useless. At best, one may persuade the shooter to spare his or her own life, but the school would be in danger. This brings up the issue of a licensed student being able to carry a gun. If a licensed student is carrying a weapon and an active shooter breaks into the classroom the student is in, the student has the ability to offer protection. Many state officials are now seeing that this scenario seems much better than talking the shooter down, and they are taking an initiative to apply it to their states’ colleges. States such as Texas “passed a bill permitting concealed weapons on campus…” because they realize how much being able to carry a weapon could affect personal safety (Hultin).
Another reason why guns should be permitted on college campuses is to help solve the growing issue of assault on women. Many women who are in college are scared for their lives as they go through their everyday routine on their college campus. The fear of being raped, mugged, or robbed lingers in the back of their minds going back and forth from class to class. According to The New York Times, “In four years of college, more than one-fourth of undergraduate women at a large group of leading universities said they had been sexually assaulted by force…” (Perez A17). More than one-fourth! This number is outrageous by any means and calls for a solution. The clear solution to this problem is allowing students to carry a weapon on campus. Whether one wants to admit it or not, a licensed individual who is able to carry a gun on a college campus would solve this issue.
Those who oppose my view on the issue of being able to carry weapons on college campuses would argue that it would increase the tension in heated situations and increase the number of people injured in the crossfire. Those who oppose feel that if an active shooter was to attack a campus and see someone carrying a weapon, it would only urge the shooter to target that individual more. I do see where this could become an issue; however, I believe that if individuals are carrying a weapon, they take on full responsibility in what may happen in a heated situation. Those opposed also believe that if an active shooter were to attack a specific classroom on campus and an individual was carrying a weapon, he or she might end up in a crossfire situation that could possibly lead to injury or death. Undoubtedly, this would draw negativity toward the subject, but one must weigh the price of injuring a few to a mass killing.
Another issue with allowing people to carry guns on college campuses involves the fact that mass shootings are a rare event and a determined shooter is almost impossible to stop.

Throughout history, the issue of mass school shootings has been an area of concern. Though it has always been an issue, it rarely occurs, and this is a major reason people oppose being able to carry weapons on college campuses. People realize that they could save lives but do not think these events happen often enough to equal the risk. Many people’s reason for opposing the right to carry weapons on college campuses comes from the idea that if a shooter wants to kill someone, he or she would not stop just because weapons are allowed. These people believe that a determined shooter would just go into deeper depths of planning the attack around others who are carrying a weapon. Though this is a valid point, I still believe it would make it more difficult for shooters to be successful in their attacks if individuals were carrying a permitted weapon.
Through this essay, one can clearly see that licensed individuals should be allowed to carry weapons on college campuses. I believe if people who oppose carrying guns on campuses evaluated the issue more, they would change their opinions on the subject. People need to open their eyes and accept the very true statement, “People kill people, guns do

not.”