Policies That Allow Guns On College Campuses Essay

Due to the recent upheaval of violent crimes on campus, many pro-gun activist have suggested that both the students and teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus. Those for this may claim that their rights have been violated because many college campuses refuse to allow weapons of any kind on campus. It is not the right to carry a gun which is in debate here, but rather it is whether or not guns should be allowed on a college campus. The Constitution of The United States of America already grants citizens the right to carry guns, and being in the south, I am by far no stranger to seeing a gun from time-to-time, but it is not appropriate for guns to be in a vulnerable area such as a college campus. There are already too many guns available to the public, and allowing them on an educational facility would greatly increase the likelihood of injury or death. Americans, as previously mentioned, have the right to bear arms, and this should be held sacred, and not infringed, taken away, or limited. However, stricter firearm control should be implemented for those who chose to carry a concealed weapon, and gun control should be done by having stricter certification processes before a firearm or gun permit is issued, intensive psychological evaluation for the person or persons applying for a gun permit or a gun,and greater educational requirements for gun owners and firearm safety.

Concealed carry and college campuses are two major topics currently in the media, yet these two topics are rarely used in unison, until now. The topic of whether or not concealed carry should be allowed on college campuses is a now mainstream debate with multiple views and numerous differentiating opinions. Many of the general public question if campus police is capable enough to protect a university’s enormous student body? Another commonly discussed issue is if concealed handguns actually do deter crime, and if they are capable of aiding in stopping a mass shooting spree? Or if guns on campus, carried by fellow classmates would make students as a whole feel more cautious or on the opposing hand make students feel more secure with guns carried on campus? If guns are allowed on campus, how will this affect a growing student’s ideology? These questions and many more are highly spoken of in our social media based generation, the answers to these questions help to improve our knowledge on this debate of concealed carry on college campuses, which will lead us to form our own individual opinions on this debate topic based on the facts and evidence presented.

“Gun control? We need bullet control! I think every bullet should cost $5,000. Because if a bullet cost $5,000, we wouldn’t have any innocent bystanders.” (Rock, 1999) Chris Rock got a big laugh when he expressed his comical stance on the issues with guns. With the heart-wrenching reality of the Virginia Tech massacre, the issue of whether or not guns should be allowed on college campus has returned to the forefront of debates, and this is no longer a

With backpacks in tow and pencils in hand, college students crisscross campus with stress of acing the test, hardly thinking about their safety. This was the case on a clear Tuesday at the University of Texas on September 28th, 2010. Students fled from a mask gunman carrying an AK-47 and shooting randomly around campus. Nineteen-year-old Colton Tooley, wearing a black mask, eventually killed himself in the library. Remarkably, no one else was injured or killed. (MSNBC) This was not the case in 1966 when 16 people where killed with 32 injured by a gunman in the UT clock tower. The debate still wages on to allow concealed guns to be carried on college campus in Texas despite a recent bill that failed to pass. The US Constitutional Second

The difference on perspectives has been a major issue especially after President Obama’s constant effort to pass more gun control laws. In contrast, the presumably and deeply Republican state of Texas, which has very few restrictions on guns, has just passed a law that makes concealed carrying on college campuses legal. Such law has been a controversy and had divided reactions from Texans all around the state. The problem that is tried to solve with this bill is to prevent more mass shootings from happening in the facilities of higher education institutions. It is very important to

Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 11 the summer of 2015 and went into effect August 1, 2016. S.B.11 allows individuals with a concealed handgun license to carry their handgun on Texas’ public universities. This includes all campus buildings, classrooms, and dorms. The bill allows schools to implement some policies, such as establishing gun-free zones, but are encouraged keep restrictions at a minimum. S.B 11 will also affect community colleges and junior colleges in August 2017. Private schools have the option to adapt the bill or not. This bill has caused a lot of controversy among students, parents, and faculty. Students at UT schools have manifested their utter dislike of the new law. They have decided to “fight absurdity with absurdity” by breaking another policy. UT

We all hear about mass shooting where a number of people are killed and we pray that we are never caught in a situation like the one at Virginia Tech or Oikos University. But the likelihood that it happens at your school, your kids school, or your friends school is at an all time high. From 2000 to 2010 nearly 70 people were killed in college campus shootings in the United States. This number more than doubles the number of killing from the 25 years prior to 2000. Not only are their more shooting but there are a proliferating number of sexual assaults happening on college campuses, in 2009 alone the number of sexual assault on college campuses was nearly 2,600 (Arrigo 120). This combined with mass media coverage has generated passionate debates on how to best stop mass shootings and other violent crimes on college campuses. Many pro-gun activists have started to push for and endorse bills allowing students and faculty to conceal carry handguns on campuses. Campus-carry is a relatively new phenomenon and there is little to no evidence to corroborate the idea that it increases campus security. Those who have not gone through rigorous instructional courses, like police officers, will be unable to stop a mass shooting, sexual assaults, or other violent crimes on college campuses. Instead, allowing students to carry will increase crime rates on campuses and will result in more fatalities due to guns(Ultius). This is why students should not be

August 1 marks the day which the state’s new Campus Carry law was enacted. This law which comply with Senate Bill 11, has authorized a licensed holder to carry concealed handgun at University of Texas at Austin and other public universities in Texas. The implementation of this law have risen controversy between the stakeholders which are the faculty members, students, parents, staffers and alumni. In regard to this, President Fenves has assigned a Campus Carry Working Group to guide the implementation of Senate Bill 11 which complies the law and at the same time ensuring the safety of the campus.

On August 1, 2016, senate bill 11 (S.B. 11) was put into effect, which allows for the carrying of concealed handguns on Texas public institution campuses by license to carry a handgun (LTC) holders (Campus Carry UTSA). There has been lots of controversy over this new law, especially since there were 23 shootings on college campuses in 2015 alone. In this essay, I plan to explain the stipulations of this new law and why it is controversial.

In 2007 an armed student killed 32 people at Virginia Tech, making it one of the deadliest gun massacres in U.S history. As a result, a group known as Students for Concealed Carry on Campus began a movement to legalize campus carry for colleges in the U.S. Lawmakers then put in place laws that would allow students and faculty to carry weapons to better defend themselves (The Secret History of the Campus Carry Movement). As of 2016 Texas became the ninth state to allow concealed carry on public universities for holders of gun permits. Nevertheless, the debate over whether to allow concealed weapons in schools remains a hot topic in our political society. Although the different viewpoints of the new law are evident, the major similarity is the safety of the student body. There exists’ two sides for concealed weapons on college campuses in the state of Texas. The side that believes students are safer by carrying a concealed weapon, and the side that believes the contrary and says that weapons should not be allowed on school premises. Regulations vary from state to state; 18 states have banned concealed weapons on college campuses and 23 states allow each school to determine its own policies (Campus Carry). Even after the Virginia shooting, the movement did not echo with all Americans.

There are several debates among people that remain in a repetitive and vicious cycle of what is right, and what is wrong. Concealed carry on college campuses is one of those noticeable arguments. As the years pass by, gun rights on college campuses have become a touchy subject that is normally avoided at dinner tables and formal events. The laws concerning concealed carry on college campuses vary from state to state, and also from campus to campus. Several factors about concealed carry either have people uneasy while others adamantly fight for more gun rights on college campuses and universities. Should concealed carry be allowed on campus, and are people taking into account school violence, learning environment, crime, student’s safety and constitutional rights?

The article “It’s about time for Texas’ guns on campus law” by John R Lott explains that guns should be allowed on all college campus’ in America. Lott explains that on the fifty year anniversary of the tragic shooting at University of Texas, the law to permit concealed handguns be allowed on public university campuses was passed. However, the University of Texas at Austin’s President, Greg Fenves, confirmed that the two events are separate issues that are not to be combined in any

“Colleges and universities occupy a special place in American society. They are much more than a series of buildings and collection of individuals. Instead, they are dynamic living and learning environments where individuals with varying levels of maturity interact, often under stressful circumstances. While recognizing the right of responsible individuals to possess firearms under other circumstances, the unique characteristics of a university campus make the presence of firearms problematic. The shootings that have occurred in recent years at US colleges and universities have generated passionate debate about how best to prevent such violence and whether persons should be allowed to carry concealed guns on campuses. Experts believe there is no credible evidence that students or staff carrying guns would reduce crime. In fact, research has shown that the brains of most college students have not fully developed regarding impulse control and judgment” (Dickerson). Therefore, guns should not be allowed on college campuses because it would lead to an escalation in violent crime, distract from the learning environment, and lead to accidental discharge incidents.

School shootings have altered American history greatly over the past two decades. From 1997 to 2007, there have been more than 40 school shootings, resulting in over 70 deaths and many more injuries. School shoot-outs have been increasing in number dramatically in the past 20 years. There are no boundaries as to how old the child would be, or how many people they may kill or injure. At Mount Morris Township, Michigan, on February 29th, 2000, there was a 6 year old boy who shot and killed another 6 year old girl at the Buell Elementary School with a .32 caliber pistol. And although many shootings have occurred at High Schools or Middle Schools, having more guns on those campuses would not be a good environment for children to grow up in.

In the article Texas Lawmakers Pass a Bill Allowing Guns at Colleges by Manny Fernandez, the rising tension between the supporters of the bill and the opposing side has increased because of the right of having concealed guns on campus. Guns should not be permitted because it shatters the image of the campus being safe. Anybody can acquire a gun without being eligible. Also, because of the controversy of public schools, they are not given the option to not allow concealed guns on campus. It will reduce the chances of having many shootings or incidents of students losing their lives because of the bill allowing concealed guns on campus.