After June 2, 2015, students are allowed to carry guns on college campuses in the state of Texas for the safety of the person. Guns on campuses are not necessary to protect oneself. Safety is important in a public location; however, guns are too dangerous when placed in the wrong hands. Student safety is all the more reason not to allow guns on college campuses. Granted, guns are a great weapon for self defense or for the secure feeling of having a gun on our person; however, the people who conceal guns are more susceptible to take their own lives as well as dozens around them. The ability to carry a gun on campus does not guarantee an individual’s safety. Therefore, it is incumbent the colleges and or universities enforce a no gun policy …show more content…
The individual’s protection is not worth the risk of jeopardizing others safety.
Our second amendment right to bear arms can be restrained upon entering a public area. Each university has their own individual policy pertaining to concealed weapons on campus. For instance, in 2007, Virginia Tech had one of the most deadly shooting rampages in U.S. history. A 23-year-old man named Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people on campus before taking his own life. Cho purchased a 9mm pistol and 50 rounds of ammunition. On the morning of April 16th, police were notified two victims were shot and killed at a campus dormitory. Two hours later a report was released that 32 students and faculty were killed. Cho was clearly depressed and through this painful state, it pushed him to impose acts of violence to the innocent people whose lives were taken in the incident. Furthermore, guns cannot load and fire themselves but irresponsible people can get their hands on one and lash out towards others. Although personal safety is important, guns are not the solution. Virginia Tech now has an official ban on firearms as a whole, after the incident occurred. According to Virginia’s Polytechnic Institute and State University Policy and Procedures Handbook it states,
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).
Thesis Statement: Firearms should be allowed on college campuses because it would give students and faculty a way to defend themselves if an attacker such as Cho tried to injure or kill them.
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.
Seung-Hui Cho, a twenty three year old performed the deadliest mass shooting on the Virginia Tech campus and State University campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, and then he took his own life. He killed 32 people. The point of students not having a concealed firearm on campus is to protect other students and faculty. Being safe and not in danger can be solved in many ways. Police officers, family, and people with high authorities are around to protect people but not all the time. Students should be prohibited from carrying concealed firearms on college campuses because it causes violence, it could be in the hands of a crazy person, and concealed carry permit holders are not required to have law enforcement training.
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...
College shootings are becoming more and more common and inevitable. Being able to carry guns on campus is being questioned for safety purposes, but there is much more to it. Guns should not be allowed on campus because even though they’re supposed to keep you safe, they can be dangerous, there is no prior training on how the weapon is to be handled, and furthermore the use of a gun on campus can pressure individuals to submit under peer pressure.
Waiting for a police officer to arrive during a home invasion is a dreadful position to be in, even more so without a weapon. These type of situations are the pivotal moments in life where perspective is likely to broaden. As stated earlier, there are very little Concealed Gun Carriers involved in crimes which leads us to believe that criminals do not bother with registering for a gun. So what is the Campus-Carry law really doing to our society? It is enabling our fellow peers to defend themselves against the disobeyers of the law! Anti-gun activists hide behind their protest by saying that there are “few—if any—clear examples of mass shootings thwarted by armed students or faculty members.” While this may hold the slightest of merit to it, it is because Campus-Carry is merely a recent adaptation, at least in Texas. Even so, it does not excuse taking the right away of millions of Americans to protect their beloved ones. Whether armed students or faculty stand to make a difference in the moment of a terrorist attack, is not completely clear, but it helps to give people the option to defend themselves in the case of an
When someone has a license to carry a concealed firearm, it does not mean that they should be able to carry wherever they would like. No one person is responsible enough for that privilege. In a high stress situation of an active shooter scene, even a highly trained person can make a bad assessment of the situation. Someone that just bought their first firearm or just got their license to carry, can make the situation worse. Firearms should not be allowed on any school campus because they are dangerous, can lead to more gun violence, and more innocent deaths due to inexperience.
College students and staff should have the sense of safety that any other perpetrator has that has instigated in a school shooting. Imagine how safe the school shooters feel when being the one and only person in the entire building who has a gun. The mental state that the school shooter has is clearly not stable. Which brings the argument to this: When allowing concealed carry, why not do a number of back-ground tests, mental tests, and a long process in order to obtain a concealed carry license? Some of these things are already done to people who actually take the concealed carry test, but if a student wants to carry a gun on campus, the student must work for it. Concealed-carry shouldn’t be easy to obtain, but it should be offered at least.
The right to bear arms has been an important conversation in America for decades. As of recent tragedies such as the Sandy Hook shooting and the Aurora Colorado Theater shooting, the debate is more heated than ever. From large-scale massacres to single fatality shootings, gun violence is unwarranted and heartbreaking. However, the Second Amendment protects individual citizens’ right to own firearms: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” it states (Bill of Rights). Although this part of the Bill of Rights has not been changed in United States’ history, some citizens argue that, because the Constitution is a working document, this should be adapted to fit current needs and protect communities. Citizens who wish tip the scale in favor of the community’s protection argue that guns are dangerous, easy to access, popular weapons that allow disgruntled or mentally unstable citizens to “inflict mass causalities” and were originally only intended for use in a militia (Joe Messerli). On the other hand, those who wish to benefit civilians argue that taking away guns restrains individual liberty and that gun control would prove futile because criminals would find ways such as the black market to obtain guns, weapons can serve as self-defense prevent crimes, and reasonable restrictions would be more effective than an outright ban (Joe Messerli). Both arguments have valid, well developed ideas, and both sides tend to be passionate in debate.
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.
Thousands of kids roam a college campus - and it only takes one. No amount of preparation, staff training, or school-wide drills can prepare the university for something so terrible. This tragedy will forever change the way students and teachers operate the school. One man. One gun. And the sad part is that all of this can all be averted. For this reason, the law should consent to “licensed concealed carry” (carrying a weapon with a license) on campus. If students were allowed to defend themselves with their own weapons, they would. Teachers and students should be permitted to carry firearms onto the campus because the rule that bans weapons will not stop a shooter, it will greatly increase a person’s self–defense, and it can stop on-campus violence as well as shootings.
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.
Is getting rid of the gun-free zones on college campuses the smart thing to do? allowing students with a proper license, to carry a loaded gun around with them. The Eight states in the U.S. that allow concealed carry on campus seem to think so. There are many people who have strong feelings, for and against allowing students on college campuses the right to carry a concealed weapon.