The Pros And Cons Of Concealed Carry

As of July 1st, 2017, Kansas will be the first state to allow anyone, with or without a permit, to carry a concealed weapon onto college campuses and into its public buildings. Kansas is not the first state to allow concealed weapons on campuses, however, for ten other states have granted concealed carry and many more have left this decision to its universities (Spies). As more and more states begin to adopt this legislation, more and more disputes arise as to whether or not concealed carry is the best course for college campuses and the safety of students and faculty. In 2007, a student opened fire at Virginia Tech, killing 32 and wounding 15 people (Burnett). Because of this and other campus shootings, questions regarding the effectiveness

Some people are rallying behind the Second Amendment, while others oppose it saying college students cannot behave responsibly. Universities, nonetheless, should consider the pros and cons of concealed carry, whiling keeping in mind the rights and safety each person is entitled to. Those who believe that carrying a gun brings greater risk argue that concealed carry increases the opportunity for violence to occur and thus endangering the safety of students and faculty. The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, Inc. (IACLEA) stated in 2008 that there is no correlation between a decrease in crime and the legalization of concealed carry (Dickerson). Moreover, IACLEA is more concerned about the safety of the students in scenes where they may be under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In these situations, students would not be in the most stable state of mind and a concealed weapon may be used

The following evidence from the article “Students Should Have the Right to Carry Guns on College Campuses” by David Burnett supports this claim. In the incident of the Virginia Tech shooting, it took nine minutes for police to respond to the scene. By that time, they were too late. As a result, there are those who believe casualties could have been lessened if someone was present at the time to stop the shooter. Similarly, at the University of Alabama, campus police were unable to stop the shooter even though their office was next to the incident. Supporters for concealed carry claim that because a campus cannot guarantee a student’s safety, students and faculty have the right to defend themselves, and thus should be allowed a weapon. Since 2006, Utah has allowed concealed handguns in its public universities. As of 2012, when Burnett’s article was written, there was no recorded evidence of accidental shootings or incidents of that kind from Utah’s universities. Similarly, a community college in Virginia has also had similar results. These examples provide support to the claim that concealed weapons can be used responsibly