| By Kayla - Feb 21st, 2008 at 5:22 pm EST |
| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
CNN has an interesting story by a CNNU correspondent at Brigham Young University. It’s an intriguing profile on students in Utah, the only state where it’s legal for licensed students and professors to carry a weapon on public campuses.
A sampling:
“Nick, who asked not to be fully identified so his fellow students wouldn't know he carried a gun, says he has had a concealed weapons permit for more than three years. But it was Seung-Hui Cho's murderous campus rampage that made him take a gun to class.
‘Last year, after Virginia Tech, I thought “I'm not going to be a victim,”’ Nick said.
‘My first thought was “how tragic.” But then I couldn't help but think it could've been different if they'd allowed the students the right to protect themselves.’”
The article serves as substantive debate between gun control and the right to bear arms. What do you think?
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Restricting legitimate possession of concealed firearms on campuses provides a "target rich" environment for would-be spree killers to dispense their carnage with a reduced probability that anyone nearby can react to stop them.
Further, the ban on firearms in schools and colleges has done nothing to stop those, intent on causing harm.
Best regards;
Bob Kenney
For me, I like to look at who is supporting the push for something rather than just how I feel about it. Who is pushing to have guns in schools? Gun manufacturers, gun support groups, and basically everyone you'd expect to support having everyone have guns everywhere (which we know is a bad idea. See: Somalia, other failed states. I just think that before policies like the commenter above mentioned are instituted in other campuses, it needs more research as to whether this method is effective, and (probably more easily) whether this method results in extra crime or violence. Ultimately, it's a decision that should be left up to states and individual municipalities. For example: campuses near Detroit may not want everyone on campus to own guns if they feel this will put their campus at risk - or they may feel that it will make their institution safer.
There's no easy answer to any question of gun control.
As a student at the University of Utah I cannot say I have ever felt threatened at all knowing that there is a good chance I'm sitting in front of somebody packing one. The gun-related crime and murder rate in Utah is relatively minimal though. It's hard to say.
The reason that crazy people keep shooting up schools is that they can. Therefore, there are only two ways to go...either more liberty or more regulation. More regulation would mean random searches of persons and property. The route of more liberty would give individuals the ability to peacefully protect themselves. People don't do mass shootings at police stations because they know that they are armed. Thus, it only makes sense to allow peaceful, non-violent citizens to have the right to arm and protect themselves.
If someone in any of the classrooms in this country that have been shot up had a gun they may not have been able to prevent the event, but they could have lessened the number of casulaties. The idea that you should completly hand over your ability to protect yourself to the police is insane! Unless you are going to have a personal office follow each of us every minute of the day, it cannot work. Therefore, I believe that not only should we lessen restrictions on guns, but also offer training so that people know what they are doing.