Should guns be allowed on college campuses?
Have you ever wondered how many people carry guns on college campuses or maybe have one in their dorms or vehicles? People believe that it is necessary to carry guns on college campuses, those people are the ones that feel they need guns to feel safe. Shootouts normally don’t happen on college campuses, but when they do, they are horrifying. Many people are injured or end up dead. Due to all the shootouts on college campuses and the people that are injured during the shootouts, guns should be prohibited.
Someone on The New York Times said, “Keeping guns out, not allowing more in, is the answer” (Ojalvo, 2011). People think that allowing guns on campus will keep them safe, but sometimes they don’t. In 2002 a shootout happened in the University of Arizona. A nursing student shot 3 professors to death. One other kid said “I don’t think two people having guns and firing them in public is that food of an idea” Most people would agree with him (Ojalvo, 2011). Parents are concerned about their kids on school and on college campuses. Therefore, guns should be prohibited from college dorms and
…show more content…
campuses. Having guns on campus could be helpful in some ways, like if there ever was a shooting and someone was carrying a gun, that person could shoot the person that was carrying the gun. Another way that guns would be helpful is if there was a girl that was being followed and the only way to scare the person away was to pull out her weapon. Having guns on campus could also be scary because if a couple of college kids were messing around with a gun and one pretends to shoot someone, but actually shoots them, it would cause problems. People may agree that guns are dangerous, but in reality, it’s the people that carry them that makes guns dangerous. “Having guns on campus has the potential for bad-it also has the potential for great good” (Malcom, 2015). Guns are dangerous, but what makes them more dangerous are the people that carry them. College campuses won’t be safe if students are allowed to carry guns.
Others say that carrying and keeping firearms makes them feel safe, but it also makes others feel uncomfortable. Parents say they want their kids to be safe on college campuses, but will they be more safe with guns being allowed on campus? “Taking away guns, taking away drugs, the booze, it won’t rid the criminality in the world,” Vaghn said on Washington Examiner (Vaghn, 2015). Providing guns for college students is a dangerous thing. Parents what their kid to be protected, but little do they know, their kid could be the one that kills someone. Students from ages 18 to 24 are known as the “hot blooded” years (Russell, 2015). Those are the years that college students drink and do drugs, which means if they get drunk they could do dumb things if they owned
firearms. A lot of shootings happen at college campuses. At many of those shootouts students are injured or die. No one deserves to die, especially at a young age where you’re starting to figure out what you want to do with your life. People that intend to kill people are usually mental or have something wrong with them. In 2013 a 23 year old shot his dad and brother, later that day he killed 3 others on a college campus. People that kill are making other people think that shooting and killing is fine, shooting and killing is not a good thing. Statistics say that allowing more guns will lead to accidental shootings and more suicides. If students were to be carrying a gun during a party and they were drunk, that could go wrong and many people would be injured. According to studies, 85% respondents believe that allowing people carry concealed guns on campus will not prevent campus killings. If there are good security guards at that campus, then guns should be prohibited. Guns and domestic violence increases a woman's risk of dying. Keeping guns away from abusers and off campus would be a better choice. In 2007 a Virginia Tech student shot other students and teachers. The student killed 32 people that day. A survivor stated that if someone was carrying a gun or weapon, more people would have been injured or killed. Another shooting happened in Isla Vista, California. Elliot Roger stabbed 3 people, and after, he shot 3 more people by his apartment. He injured 13 people, later that day he died of a gunshot wound.
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).
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.
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
Taking privileges away from the majority of mentally stable, healthy, hard working Americans just because a percentage of alcoholics, drug addicts, gang members, and mentally ill individuals are to blame for the school shootings, murders and suicides, would just be insane. So, why is the government trying to implement more strict gun laws for the people that don't do these heinous crimes. The debate on if the government should take the guns away from all the citizens in order to stop these crimes would not stop those who are committing the crimes in the first place. Then, the question would be, how would we know who really has the guns and where they are?
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
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.
Of all school shootings only 47 percent of them are on college campuses. The other 53 percent are in elementary through high school grade campuses. These numbers can be drastically cut back by allowing concealed and open carry on college campuses. Students should be allowed to open carry on campus because it increases the protection of both themselves and the public.
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...
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.
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
In the past years, several schools and college campuses have suffered many shooting attacks, killing innocent people who just want to become professional and finish their careers. Those shooters have been caused by other students that might have personal or mental problems that make them think that they can solve their problems by shooting and killing people. This is why many people are arguing about the second amendment, if guns should be allowed on college campuses. Some arguments are: students are going to be more secure and they will be able to defend themselves in case that someone starts shooting. However, there is also a large amount of people who believe that if guns are allowed on college campuses there would be an increase of