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.
Currently, in most universities, students are not allowed to carry any type of defense mechanisms. Pepper spray, tasers, and guns are meant to protect individuals
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Colleges desire a crime free environment, however, the fact is, many campuses already have several violent crimes that occur on a regular basis. Crime in schools and colleges is “one of the most troublesome social problems in the Nation today” (“Crime in Schools and Colleges.”). Crime is already an occurring issue because little to no changes have been made to discourage criminal activity. Seen as an ever growing issue, college crime could easily lessen if changes occurred. Criminal activity will lessen if a campus carry were enacted. Permitting gun carry will allow for a positive change, because criminals will be aware of the fact that students may possess weapons. Since 2012, more than 150 colleges in the United States have allowed concealed carry, and “not one of these campuses has seen a single resulting act of violence (including threats) or a single resulting suicide attempt” (“Common Arguments Against Campus Carry.”). This proves permitting guns will allow for a safer, more productive campus. Violence will not drastically increase if campus carry is enacted; the opposite effect will occur. If students who possess their concealed carry licenses are already allowed to carry guns into certain businesses and areas, what difference will it make to continue that carry onto a college campus. If a student wanted to commit violent acts, they could already commit them off campus property. Campus carry promotes safety, and helps diminish criminal
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.
Many politicians and public figures had shared their opinions about the campus carry law, William H. McRaven a for Navy SEAL, and former commander of the United States Special operations forces who raided and directed the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the chancellor of the University of Texas opposed to having weapons on campus. A man who has many guns and has a love for many guns, says that it will not make campuses any safer than they are now. McRaven also was a public figure that joined with the interest groups and stated why he thought the weapons on campus would not be a good idea. Texas senator Brian Birdwell, who is a republican, the bill’s chief architect, and a retired Army Lieutenant agrees with the campus carry on law. Many universities
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
Secondly, some people believe guns should not be allowed on campus because they may go off by accident. True, a gun may go off by accident, but according to, Students for Concealed Carry, out of 150 college campuses that allow concealed carry, there have been only three accidental discharges (Common). Two of them were by staff and one by a student. All three of the accidental discharges resulted in non-life-threatening discharges in which no one was injured (Common). All three incidents could have been prevented through proper training and practice, such as wearing a
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
College campuses are more dangerous than ever because of the past decade; guns have not only been manufactured in excess, but availability and ease of accessibility. According to James Cool (2008), a supporter of guns on campus, reasoned why the increase of weapons occurred recently; “Our nation was founded … during the same time that modern firearms were invented and became readily available due to the Industr...
Everyone has had that time in their life where they feel that they would be safer if they had some sort of protection, concealed carry is a great option for protection. Over the years it has been growing in popularity, more and more people are going out and getting their concealed carry permit. With more and more people going out and getting their permit, some may view it as dangerous, while others feel it is a necessity. Concealed carry is essential because, it allows added protection, has certain restrictions that the person must meet, and if guns are handled properly they are not as dangerous
Gun control is a highly controversial topic in today’s world where the fight is between the liberal and the conservatives. Many people believe that guns should be banned due to many recent massacres that have happened whereas others are wanting people to have background checks done before owning a gun. I am against gun control because banning handguns in the United States should not be allowed because handguns fail to protect the people and it is ineffective.
If a person don’t carry a concealed weapon, how will they be able to protect themselves and their precious family from vicious criminals? Shall issue states are states that citizens may apply and be considered by the state for a gun permit which is also known as concealed carry. John R. Lott, is an economist and has received his Ph.D. in economics from UCLA. He claimed "shall-issue" concealed carry laws reduced murders by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7%, and robbery by 3%, according to a 2000 analysis of FBI crime data” (Lott, John R.) This refers to how concealed carry reduces crime and information was reported by the FBI compared to the other states that don’t allow concealed carry. This quote shows real evidence on how guns
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.
As of 2013, all 50 states allow concealed carry of handguns (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps), although a few states don’t require a permit and the standards for licensing vary greatly from state to state. In the U.S. most states are “Shall Issue” states. This means they will grant anybody a permit that meets certain guidelines such as being 21 or older and not having any felony convictions, a history of mental illness or domestic abuse. A handful of other states are “May Issue” states. In these other states, such as Maryland, a permit will only be issued if you can prove you need it. This can be a large obstacle and these states will usually only issue permits to people in the public eye, wealthy individuals that are well-connected or business owners frequently transporting large sums of cash (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps). Although the requirements and standards are different wherever you may live, one thing holds true- concealed carry permit holders are rapidly growing. The market for handgun training, concealed carry courses and smaller, more concealable handguns have opened up. When concealed carry was first gaining popularity there were two very different schools of thought. Some thought that violent crime would decrease, as criminals would fear the everyday person that just may happen to be armed. Others thought that having people carrying around concealed handguns in public would lead to an increase in violent crime with people losing their temper and shooting each other. When analyzing the data and crime trends, it is clear that with this influx of concealed carry permit holders there has not been a corresponding increase in violent crime.
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
The SCCC group tries to urge people to understand that the right of self-defense does not vanish at the property line of a college. If students who legally own and carry guns are responsible and were allowed to carry on campus, the chances of a possible mass shooting would be small (Calloway, 2013). There are more questions on, why not to have concealed carry on college campuses than there is why you should have concealed carry on college campuses. It is best expressed through these words on why to carry, “Nothing is stopping criminals or people with mental issues from bringing guns onto campuses, sometimes multiple guns. Nobody might even know they are there until they are getting fired upon. Saying you can’t exercise your second amendment
Past experiences show that when an armed assailant attempts to attack anyone, they gravitate towards a person that is unarmed and unable to defend themselves, therefore, areas that do not allow concealed carry are unsafe and will undoubtedly attract someone who wants to harm the defenseless. In light of recent school shootings, a portion of society, including state legislators have been discussing whether nor not to authorize students and faculty to carry their concealed weapons on college campuses. Most school shootings take place in gun-free zones. While sections of the community say that allowing students to carry guns would only worsen the situation, a considerable amount of citizens believe that giving students and faculty the ability to legally carry a concealed weapon on a campus would decrease campus violence phenomenally. Among this group of people is Ken Stanton, a man who was attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University amid the shooting who stated, "It is not a force field, but it just means that if something bad does happen, we can fight back, at Virginia Tech, no one had a chance.” Ken Stanton was friends with a man who got killed during this shooting, and subsequently started looking for college campuses that would allow open or concealed carry so he could feel more secure on campus.