Concealed Carry on College Campuses

Concealed Carry on College Campuses

Support for Concealed Carry on College Campuses

Many individuals believe that completely removing guns from society will best serve to protect the public however the truth is that criminals will still access guns to commit crimes and will use them with greater confidence knowing that the general public is not armed. This work addresses the issue of carrying concealed weapons on college campuses from both the view of supporters and those opposed to this practice.

Concealed Carry on College Campuses

An article published on the 2nd day of April, 2012 highlights the misconception about 'gun-free' schools as reported is that "at least six students were gunned down…in California on the same day that a national protest began to call attention to the fact that students are left helpless against such murderers." (Soderstrom, 2012) Spokesman for the national group 'Empty Holster Protest' reported as organized by 'Students for Concealed Carry' stated that the shooting "is a poignant and ironic example of the very thing we're protesting…Colleges invite these shootings by guaranteeing criminals their victims will be disarmed." (Soderstrom, 2012)

II. State Supreme Court -- Colorado Gun Ban on College Campuses Lifted

It was reported on the 6th day of March, 2012 that the Colorado State Supreme Court handed down a ruling that effectively lifted the ban on carrying concealed weapons on Colorado college campuses. (Huffington Post, 2012) Texas had already addressed this concern in 2001 exampled by a report that legislators in Texas were readying to pass a bill that allows college students and professors to carry guns on campus. The article relates that without the right to carry concealed guns the only option left to students and professors if a gunman begins shooting is "to hide behind their desks or play dead." (Huffington Post, 2011) Legislation has been passed in several states allowing the same including the states of Arizona, Nevada, Oklahoma and Wisconsin."

III. Opponents to Concealed Carry on College Campuses

One can understand that concept that opponents to carrying guns on campus cling to as they propose that if students and professors are not armed then it is less likely that a shooting such as happened at Virginia Tech and at A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama because if there are not guns then there can be no shootings to occur. Not so, at Virginia Tech had students and faculty been armed then the gunman could have been shot down before so many lives were taken and the same thing holds true in the campus shooting that took place in Alabama several years ago. A simplistic illustration that might serve to inform the thinker asks that the reader imagine for a moment that they wish to protect their home. Would the individual ensure a higher level of deterrence from their home being robbed if their yard featured an ADT security sign, a German Shepherd in the yard and a chain link fence? Alternatively, would a law in the city that restricted homeowners from possessing guns be more effective? Naturally, the ADT security sign, guard dog and chain link fence would be more effective than a city announcement that all the homes within its limits were gun-free and effectively sitting ducks for an robbery attempt.

IV. The Root of the Problem

The root of the problem relating to the debate on citizen ownership of guns and in this case concealed carry on college campuses must be examined. At the root of this issue is abdication that is the abdication of the American citizen to address their own and their family's autonomy in protecting themselves. It is not rational nor is it realistic to expect the U.S. government to provide omnipotent protection to its citizens. For the sake of the argument the assumption will be made that this capability exists but the question that must be posed is at what costs does this capability exist and specifically at what costs to the freedom and liberty of American citizens. The right to bear arms is a Constitutionally guaranteed right in the Bill of Rights and as such is to be a right that is not to be diluted although the regulation of this right does exist in the form of requirements for registration and licensing of guns. These regulations and licensing requirements ensure that criminals do not obtain guns in the legal forum but the underground black market for guns is a thriving business in today's world. If the Smiths, Browns, and Thompsons choose not to be armed and fail to protect themselves and their families, and if every city in the U.S. outlaws guns in their city limits nevertheless, one can be sure that the criminal faction in the United States and globally will make sure that they have access to guns and that they will be carrying them concealed on their person with or without registration and licensing of the guns.

Summary and Conclusion