Pros And Cons Of Concealed Weapons On Campus

Concealed Weapons on Campus: Opportunity or Epidemic? “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution has started many debates over the years. The right to bear arms is an issue that many are passionate about because of the impact it may have on public safety. College campuses across America have been debating the issue of allowing concealed weapons on campus for decades. According to an article from authors Theodore Day, Stan Liebowitz, and Craig Pirrong guns make colleges a safer place to be. They begin with a statement that “mass public shootings almost exclusively occur in public
places where concealed weapons are banned.” A simple solution, in their eyes, would be to allow concealed permit holders to carry a firearm on campus. They argue that when it comes to matters of life and death public policies should be decided only after analyzing the competing risks. Some believe that gun free zones can reduce the risk to public safety, especially when it comes to the risk of mass public shootings. The data suggests that this is not necessarily true, “All multiple-victim public shootings in the United States with more than three fatalities have occurred where concealed handguns are prohibited.” (Day, Liebowitz and Pirrong 2009 ) It is suggested that criminals may cause more crime in areas that are gun-free because there is less risk of quickly being stopped. Some of the benefits to allowing concealed weapons are based on the truth that “first responders”, police officers, are not able to be everywhere all of the time.
In many situations the first person to have the ability to respond to a crisis involving a shooting is an armed citizen. In many situations permit holders have been able to disarm and/or disable those that were attempting to harm multiple citizens. Further studies also suggest that laws that are supportive of carrying concealed weapons have been successful in the reduction of violent crimes. This data would support the idea that concealed weapons should be allowed in public areas on campus throughout the United
States. When the debate first began about allowing concealed weapons on public campuses it was feared that “indiscriminate gunplay” (Students for Concealed Carry on Campus 2008) would occur. There is no data that would support that theory. Another issue would be the interference with a healthy learning environment. Opponents of concealed weapons on campus suggest that students would “feel uncomfortable” about not knowing who was carrying a firearm. With the absence of metal detectors or searches at every campus entrance, students already have no way of knowing if anyone is carrying a weapon now. Concerns over increasing risk to students for students cited a study by the Brady Campaign, this campaign supports strict gun control laws, implies that colleges have several issues.
Some of the issues on college campuses are prevalence of drugs and alcohol, risk of suicide and mental health issues, likelihood of gun thefts, and increased accidental shootings.
The rebuttal to these fears includes the fact that in twelve colleges that allow legal concealed weapons there has not been a single incident involving a student under the influence brandishing a weapon on campus, not one suicide of a student who had a concealed weapons permit, any report theft of a registered firearm, and not even one reported accidental shooting. Campus safety is an issue that affects every college student, employee, or visitor. The issues are many and so are the solutions. There is unfortunately no quick fix when it comes to public safety on campus. It can become difficult to decide when citizen’s rights under the United States Constitution are in the crosshairs of a debate on public safety. Answers may not come quickly or easy but the answers are needed. Are concealed weapons the solution to safety on campus or are they an epidemic that only promotes violence in our society? This debate will definitely
continue.

Works Cited
"College Campuses Are Less Safe Without Concealed Weapons" by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. Gun Violence. Louise I. Gerdes, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints® Series. Greenhaven Press, 2011. "Why Our Campuses Are NOT Safer Without Concealed Handguns," Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, 2008. Copyright © 2008 ConcealedCampus.com. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission.
"Colleges Should Have the Authority to Ban Weapons from Campuses" by Brian J. Siebel and Allen K. Rostron. Concealed Weapons Kacy Lovelace, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2011. Brian J. Siebel and Allen K. Rostron, "No Gun Left Behind," The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, May 2007. Copyright © 2007 by The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Reproduced by permission.
"Concealed Weapons Should Be Allowed on College Campuses" by Theodore Day, Stan Liebowitz, and Craig Pirrong. Concealed Weapons Kacy Lovelace, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2011. Theodore Day, Stan Liebowitz, and Craig Pirrong, "Guns Make Colleges Safer," Gun Owners of America, April 22, 2009. Copyright © 2009 by Theodore Day, Stan Liebowitz, and Craig Pirrong. Reproduced by permission of the authors.