Allowing concealed carry on college campuses makes students,
faculty, and public safety personnel vulnerable to gun violence at anytime. A
professor at Kansas State stated that, “University classrooms, labs, libraries,
athletic venues, and other public spaces bring people in close proximity to one
another. Accidental shootings cannot occur in the absence of guns and we
believe more guns will increase the likelihood of accidental shootings of our
co-workers, our students and the guests who come to our campuses.” If everyone
were allowed to carry a handgun on campus, in the event of an active shooter,
it could not only turn into a shoot out and put more people in danger, but also
make it more difficult for public safety personnel to identify and target the
perpetrator vs those trying to defend themselves. Allowing weapons on campus
places everyone at risk of becoming a victim of gun violence.
For Argument:
On the other hand, a common misconception of conceal and
carry on college campuses is the assumption that there will be an escalation in
violent crimes. However, over the past 20 years, more than 150 US college
campuses allowing concealed carry and not one of these campuses has seen a
single resulting act of violence (including threats) or a single resulting
suicide attempt. In the same way, not a single state has seen a resulting
increase in gun violence. In the event of an active shooter, concealed carry
would increase the sense of public safety as students’ and faculty with
handguns would be able to protect themselves and others against the
perpetrator. Many believe that placing limitation
on conceal and carry on Kansas college campuses not only goes against the
Second Amendment’s right to bear arms but also encroaches on public safety.
Question: Based on the links below, do you believe conceal/carry make campuses more or less safe? Why?
Links:
Why colleges should not let concealed weapons on campus:
ReplyDelete1. Too many people using guns in a school shooting (for example) will result in more deaths than before.
2. Many people that have guns don't always know how to use their guns, unless they go to special classes to learn.
Why colleges should allow concealed weapons on their campus.
1. People could defend themselves in a situation where they need it, but that doesn't mean that guns are necessary.
I would feel safer because it could prevent a more destructive campus shooting. Maybe for some people might just feel safer themselves holding a handgun. I would say that most people might just think of men carrying and concealing guns., but women at night might feel safer because there is a lot of rape on colleges campuses. The down side is that it might injure/kill a random civilion when trying to "stop" a shooter. - Wesley Harkin
ReplyDeletei would agree more with the allowance of conceal carry because then people will feel safer and i think people would be less likely to decide to shoot up a school because they know everyone has a gun or can if they decide to.
ReplyDeleteEven though campuses have shown no increase in gun violence since being allowed to conceal carry a weapon i would still feel as though my life is more at risk than not having concealed weapons allowed on campus, but that's just me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with having conceal and carry but for it to actually work anyone who wants to conceal and carry, they would have to have more training. You could make the argument that it makes people who have them feel safe, but it in any situation it can make people feel unsafe.
ReplyDeleteI think that conceal carry does not need to be legal on campus. If you have a high number of well trained campus police there is no reason to have a gun.
ReplyDelete