Concealed Carry In Schools

On April 16th, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a student at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, went on campus and proceeded to shoot and kill 33 people, injuring 32 others before he killed himself (Shapira and Jackman). According to Christine Hauser and Anahad O’Connor, staff writers for the New York Times, “the shootings at Virginia Tech came in the same week, eight years prior, as the shootings at Columbine on April 20th, 1999.” In more recent years, mass shootings at school campuses have occurred more frequently. Such occurrences have ignited yet another round of the gun control debate, focusing largely on whether or not teachers should be allowed to conceal carry on campus. With strict gun bans
Responses to the questionnaire strongly opposed the allowance of concealed carry by teaching staff on school campuses, with 70% being opposed to concealed carry on campus no matter the circumstances (Simi). Nearly all the respondents that opposed the notion of concealed carry on campuses stated the main reason was due to possibility of harming a student or an incident arising due to a student having opportunities to get a hold of a gun at school (Simi). Such concerns over allowing concealed carry on school campuses have led to slow change when it comes to reevaluating gun-free zone
According to Alex Stewart, state director of Florida Students for Concealed Carry, “there hasn’t been a single case where a permit holder on a college campus … has committed a crime” (Lyons). He continues, “concealed carriers are abnormally law-abiding citizens; we are almost never convicted of weapons crimes” (Lyons). Going along with Stewarts’ sentiments, Gary Kleck, professor of criminal justice at Florida State University, has conducted research that showed “permit holders commit fewer crimes than unlicensed holders and that many victims successfully defend themselves with a gun” (Lyons). Kleck begs the question, “if carry permit holders never commit gun violence, why are [opponents] worried about them being allowed to carry on college campuses?” (Lyons). The fact that crime rates involving firearms are less among those with concealed carry permits and, as previously mentioned, gun-related violence overall is on the decline, this should put those who oppose concealed carry by faculty members on school property at