Should Guns be Allowed on College Campus?
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.
It is frightening how easily it is to
Gun control is a vital necessity that will produce a safe college community, a secure country and most of all a peaceful world. Unfortunately, some individuals do not see it as a vital necessity that it is. They believe that it has no impact on the learning environment and that it is a right based on the second amendment. The statistics and data show otherwise, stricter gun controls are crucial. No individual wants to feel in harm's way in their home or in society. Without laws that apply to gun control, many lives will be taken because of a firearms. Stricter gun control laws will be supported by the arguments: guns can turn arguments lethal, campus carry could lead to more suicides, guns can lead to more fatal accidents, armed civilians are not likely to stop a rampage shooter and finally guns do not stop sexual assaults. There are many reasons why gun control is important, the list could go on and on. According to the American Journal of Public Health from the Wall Street Journal rated the United States sixth internationally for gun related deaths (J.T.). If we want to stop violence on college campuses and in America, we have to impose stern policies on who and how firearms are obtained.
Guns and schools just don’t mix. Of course, this could be arguable from both sides. Only nine out of our fifty states allow guns on campus. Most private universities have the choice to decide if they want to allow concealed weapons on campuses. As for public institutions with the law in its state, they have no choice. Public institutions only have control of what buildings are limited. There are numerous reasons that it could be beneficial, but it can also be a complete catastrophe just waiting to happen. In today’s society, people feel the need to be more protected because of what’s going on in the world. There have been many reported incidents in regards to guns being abused on school grounds. Guns end lives, so it’s imperative that we understand the rules and why they’re so important. In order for people to really understand the pros and cons of having guns on campus, they first must began to understand its safety hazards, retaliation and prevention mechanism.
Allowing guns on campuses has to be one of the most absurd solutions conceived to regulate safety. Firearms have no place in the hands of staff and students on campus. The idea is totally blown out of proportion because many universities actually considering concealed carry believe the impact will be less crime and more safety, but what exactly does it mean to allow a weapon on college property? People that are for campus carry argue that those with a firearm will be able to defend themselves against any incident that is bound to happen, but what happens when they pull out a gun? How will students, staff, or law enforcement react? Guns on campuses are not a good idea due to the fact students aren't fully mature enough to carry a weapon, they will become inhibited in
In 2007, 32 students and teachers die after being held at gunpoint on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University by a student, Seung Hui Cho, who attended the school later on dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In all 27 students and 5 faculty members died. I really think that guns shouldn't be allowed on college campuses at all because it will cause a distraction from the learning environment, would lead to an increased number of suicides by college students, a gun might go off by accident, most college students are too young to carry a concealed handgun license, and school shootings don't happen that often and college campuses are very safe so, therefore, there is no need to carry a concealed weapon on a campus.
Gun control on campuses all across the United States of America has been a controversial and popular debate topic for me ever since I woke up one morning on April 20, 1999 and witnessed, what at that time was the deadliest campus shooting in our history, at that time. Obviously I am talking about the shooting that occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado where Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris attacked their school and opened fire on helpless students, brutally murdering 12 students, a teacher, and then killing themselves. I may have been young at the time of the shooting, but it definitely was my first interaction with deadly violence in a campus setting and opened my eyes to the harsh reality of how crazy our world can be at
How would you feel knowing that a responsible adult you trusted was able to conceal carry on your home campus? Personally, I would feel safe, but I would feel much safer being able to carry that gun and protect myself at any moment needed. Gun laws are the cause of much of the violent crime in the United States and need to be changed in order to make it easier for Americans to purchase handguns, carry them as concealed weapons and protect themselves.
The first arguement for concealed guns on campus comes from insiderhighered.com written by Kaitlin Mulhere. She states that so far eleven states are discussing on being able to carry a concealed gun on campus. There has been at least one bill that has been suggested in about half of the fifty states within past few years for guns on campus. So far, seven states have made laws allowing guns on campus. Kaitlin says that there are two views on the issue. One being that it is a constitutional right for one to be able to carry a gun. The second being that it will make campuses safer from shooters and other criminals. It was brought up in the beginning that armed people on campus could commit a mass shooting which worried many people. Kaitlin
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
Is campus carry truly effective in decreasing gun violence on campus? Or does it, instead, pose a threat to students and faculty? The campus carry law refers to the policies that allow appropriately licensed students and faculty to carry a handgun on campus as long as the gun is hidden from sight. Several states, including Texas, have passed concealed carry; as a result, polarizing debates have ensued over the effectiveness of the law. Shootings have been occurring at institutions of higher education since the early 20th century (Cobb 35). The first incident of campus shooting occurred at the University of Texas in 1966, by a student named Charles Whitman. Since then, there has been several other university shootings, and they have become more frequent within the last two decades. As a result of this, as well as other shooting incidents such as, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Oregon Mall, and Aurora movie theater, in recent years, the debate over allowing concealed carry on campus has gained a lot of momentum with very conflicting opinions. Proponents of concealed carry consider it to be the best answer to decrease the injuries and casualties of a gun related incident, while opponents consider allowing firearms on campus a threat to the safety of campus constituents. Agreeing with opponents of campus carry, I believe by allowing the concealed carry of firearms on campus, we are potentially compromising the safety of students and faculty, thus universities should push for
Every day parents send their children off to school with the expectation that they will be returned home safely at the end of the day. However, with an ever increasing number of school shootings some parents are pulling their children out of school because they feel as if school can no longer offer the same sense of security as they once had. Some schools are pressing for the right for school instructors to carry a loaded weapon on campus. School instructors should be allowed to carry a loaded weapon on campus because it helps prevent school shootings, it protects them during school shootings, and gives students and staff an added sense of security.
The US constitution states it is the citizen’s right to bear arms. (US Constitution art II) The right to bear arms is a right, although not necessarily required in today’s world. What is the purpose for having firearms on a college campus across the US? College campuses should be considered a safe haven to further education, expand our thoughts, ideas and maintain enlightened citizenry. Fostering a place of self-growth and improvement is critical to nourishing the U.S. democratic ideals. You can’t be comfortable in any learning environment if you are thinking about guns and their presence. Guns could be use as intimidation if they are carried openly in a classroom. I feel the restrictions on gun ownership are not severe enough when it comes to owning and possessing a gun. So let’s tighten them up and keep guns off our campuses.
The right to bear arms is a liberty given to us in the United States written in the Second Amendment. However, that should not apply to college campuses across the nation. Giving anyone the accessibility to take a fire arm without any penalty could possibly make it easier to plot a scheme that would inflict harm to students. The vast majority would agree, it is difficult to talk about guns on campuses, since it associates with previous shootings that have taken placed in recent memory. Understandably, for many people to witness these tragedies have severely crippled them emotionally, physiologically, even physically. Even if the person carrying such a weapon with the true intention in defending, should not be accountable in defending themselves from outside influences. The law enforcement is well equipped to handle matters like these. We can never foresee or intervene a crime that will occur in the future, but we can prevent it. One way we can get closer
“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.
After shootings on college campuses occur for example the Virginia Tech massacre, the Kentucky State shootings, and the Northern Illinois University shooting, many people started to question the safety of the students. Many college students came up with the bright idea that bringing concealed guns to school will help them protect themselves from possible shootings and some are lobbying for it to become legal in colleges that don’t allow it. However, allowing students to carry guns on school campuses will not make it safer. In fact, it will do the opposite. If concealed guns were permitted on college campuses it would create an unhealthy, paranoid environment that students don’t feel safe in. There are
Are firearms on campus, safe or dangerous? More than 4,320 colleges and universities in the United States permit students as well as the faculty to carry guns on campus. The idea of allowing concealed guns on campus came about after the several campus shootings especially the deadliest one that occurred at Virginia Tech University in 2007 (Hope, 1). But what is the need of increasing guns on campuses while the society and the government are doing all they can to avoid violence? Concealed guns on campus should not be allowed because it will only increase the rate of crime as well as escalate confrontations. Proponents of gun control feel that according to the Second Amendment, only militia groups which include security agencies such as police officers should be allowed to carry weapons for the protection of the nation's freedom. They support the theory of the by citing the Supreme court ruling in the United States v. Miller, that the militia referred to in the Second Amendment represents a group of regulated people in the security agencies in the country. The court ruled that the “In the absence of any evidence tending to show that possession or use of a [sawed-off shotgun] at this time has some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well-regulated militia, we cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument” (Reynolds, 411).