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
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
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