Human Rights on College Campuses

¶ … Concealed Gun Carrying on College Campuses

College is a stage in a young person's life that is filled not only with hard work, the proverbial sweat, and often tears, but also with fun, new friends, and new love. It is one of the most carefree and happy times in life, between the restrictions of school and the woes of work. It is unfortunate, therefore, that some criminals feel the need to prey on the young and innocent lives contained within tertiary campuses today. Particularly, the victimization of women in the form of assault, rape, and murder, is increasingly reported. For this reason, an increase has also been seen in the call for the right of campus students to carry concealed weapons. The main argument in favor of this position is that students who are otherwise vulnerable to vicious and sometimes murderous attacks will be able to protect themselves from potential harm. The importance of legislation such as the Nevada Campus Carry Bill cannot be overstated, since it has the potential to protect the innocent and save lives.

The "campus carry" measure in terms of the Assembly Bill 148 has been sponsored by Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, who is also a gun rights advocate (Whaley, 2015). Fiore was inspired by Amanda Collins, a concealed weapons permit holder, to sponsor the measure. Collins was unarmed when she was raped in 2007 by James Biela in a parking garage on a Reno campus. Although she is a permit holder, Collins' argument is that the government should not mandate the choice to carry a concealed weapon, and that the choice should be open, particularly to women on campuses, since this population is particularly vulnerable for target by predators such as Biela. Indeed, Biela has later raped two more victims, one of whom was murdered, all before his arrest and death sentence in 2008. Had the victims involved been allowed to carry concealed weapons, the crime could have been prevented and lives saved.

Self-defense is an inherent right of which nobody should be deprived, especially when one is part of a relatively vulnerable population such as a female college student (Birnbaum). No person, of whatever population, should be victimized to the point where he or she is forced to remain indoors at certain times of day because of the criminal actions of others. Indeed, law-abiding citizens should have more rights than criminals. This cannot be the case when criminals obtain weapons illegally and victimize those who are not allowed to carry guns of their own.

Indeed, according to Birnbaum (2012), those in favor of carrying firearms on campus argue that the criminals in question would not be as likely to attack college students if they have reason to believe they might be armed. This is particularly the case for more vulnerable populations. Having the right to carry a concealed weapon would empower this population to move more freely than is currently the case. This is the core of democracy, and especially of campus life. It is a time during which students should experience freedom and joy, not fear and restriction. Not providing the right to carry weapons would unnecessary restrict a person who should be young and carefree to movements during only certain times of day and to certain areas of the campus. This is not fair in terms of human rights or democracy.

One nationwide group that promotes the right to carry concealed firearms on college campuses is the Students for Concealed Carry (SCC) (Teeple, Thompson & Price, 2012, p. 59). This group has listed five important reasons for allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campus. The first of these is the fact that the right to carry concealed is only extend to citizens who have demonstrated their ability and experience with firearms. From reported crimes, such as the one involving Biela, it is clear that gun-free zones are ineffective, since criminals are not by nature law-abiding citizens who take notice of such regulations. Third, there is no risk to the campus population from those who are allowed to legally carry concealed weapons, since crimes involving guns are perpetrated by criminals, not those who own guns legally. The fourth reason has been mentioned above, which concerns the right to protection and self-defense. Finally, the SCC holds that colleges are powerless to protect students; self-protection must therefore not be only a student's responsibility, but also his or her right. The SCC also argue that gun-free policies are only honored by those who abide by the law, which reiterates the argument above. Not allowing law-abiding citizens to carry guns for the purpose of self-protection places the right of freedom of movement in the hands of criminals. There is something severely wrong with such a picture. Criminals are the ones who should be stripped of their rights; they have no right to hijack freedom and imprison citizens in a cage of fear. Again, college students should especially be protected in this regard; they are the future of the country.