Violent Shootings at Virginia Tech

¶ … violent shootings at Virginia Tech in April of 2007 placed a great deal of emphasis on the presence of firearms on college campuses. The very open and public nature of college campuses makes them difficult to secure. The purpose of this discussion is to examine the issue of "Firearms on U.S. College Campuses." The research will focus on current policies and trends and whether those policies make the campuses safer.

Utah is the only state in the union that has a state law allowing firearms on college campuses and it only allows firearms on the campuses of public colleges and universities. According to an article entitled "Utah only state to allow guns at college," "Nationwide, 38 states -- including Virginia -- ban weapons at schools. Of those, 16 explicitly prohibit weapons on college campuses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In other states, each school is allowed to formulate its own policy ("Utah Only State to Allow..." 2007)." As it pertains to Utah, the law allowing firearms on campus is an extension of a state law that permits concealed weapons on all state property ("Utah Only State to Allow..."2007).

In 2008 alone at least twelve states have proposed bills to allow firearms on the campuses of public universities. These states include Virginia, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, Washington, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Michigan. Many students have stated that they feel unsafe and that they would feel helpless if someone went on a shooting rampage and they had no way to defend themselves. Many students seem to already have licenses to carry concealed weapon but go to school in states that have banned firearms from campus (Bello).

An article entitled "12 states debate guns on campus,"

School is the only place I'm not allowed to carry my weapon...I felt defenseless, and it started to bug me, especially with all the school shootings...We're not talking about convincing people to get licenses, we're talking about people who already have their licenses. And for the most part, they are older students (Bello, 3A)."

Students and faculty on college campuses throughout the country share this same sentiment. Many would feel safer if they could carry weapons to defend against attacks.

The question of whether or not to allow firearms on college campuses is a controversial one. Proponents of the idea believe that having firearms on campus makes students safer. They contend that shooting such as the Virginia Tech massacre would not have been so severe had another student or professor been carrying a gun. Proponents assert that in allowing concealed weapons to be carried student or faculty will be able to stop a gunman and loss of life can be avoided. Proponents also argue that even though most college campuses have police officers that carry weapons, it often takes officers many minutes to arrive at the scene of the crime. These minutes are precious and many people were killed at Virginia Tech before the police officers arrived on the scene. The time it takes between the beginning of a rampage and the arrival of armed officers to the scene is often the arguing point for people who support the carrying of firearms on college campuses.

On the other hand, those that oppose firearms on college campuses believe that allowing firearms actually increases the danger on college campuses. They argue that accidental or intentional shooting are more likely to occur if students and faculty are allowed to carry guns. Since this is the case, opponents believe that only professionals such as police officers and security guards should be allowed to carry firearms on campus.

Those that oppose the allowing of firearms on campus also assert that there are other ways to make college campuses more secure. For instance, the development of campus wide alarms, email and text alerts have been implemented at college campuses throughout the country (Magnusson, 2008). In addition opponents argue that tighter laws governing the mental health status of students should be examined so that people who have a history of mental illness are monitored more carefully. They argue this is important because both of the perpetrators of recent college campus shootings were treated for mental illness. Opponent of guns on campus argue that careful monitoring and greater vigilance it what is needed and not the addition of guns to college campuses.

Are Campuses Safer with or without firearms

The arguments for and against the allowing of firearms on campuses really boils down to what makes the campus safer. The apprehension that many schools have about allowing firearms on campus, have to do with the idea that allowing firearms will actually make campuses less safe. These schools believe that the chances of someone going on a rampage is so slim that permitting students and faculty to carry weapons is not necessary and actually increases the likelihood that someone will be shot accidentally or that disagreements may escalate and someone carrying a gun will act irrationally (Comerford, 2007).

Others argue that the fatalities suffered at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University would have been less severe had someone, besides the gunman, had access to a firearm. Although it is true that the chances of a rampage occurring are slim, it is still possible and it seems that in recent years the likelihood of such a rampage occurring on a college campus is more likely. With this understood, it can also be argued that allowing firearms on campus can increase campus safety.