When we leave our homes in the morning, we set out into the world believing we will return exactly the way we left. In our minds, as long as we steer clear of danger and avoid any accidents we will be OK.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. At any given moment, anything or everything can happen. At any given moment, we could receive a phone call from someone informing us of a relative or friend’s death.
Even though it sounds morbid, it is the truth. We cannot control the things that happen around us or away from us. Things happen for a reason, even if the reason doesn’t make much sense.
Since the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings, there has been more debate on whether students should be allowed to carry concealed firearms on university campuses.
The 2nd Amendment states: "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."
Although we have the constitutional right to carry a firearm, that doesn’t mean we should carry one everywhere, particularly on a college campus. The world seems dangerous enough without increasing the number of people carrying firearms both legally and illegally.
According to a CNN article, a University of Cincinnati student and organizer of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus believes the ability to carry firearms on college campuses should be allowed.
It is understandable that students would like to feel safer while on campus.
Who wouldn’t, after two collegiate mass-shooting cases within a year? But at the same time how does allowing students to carry concealed weapons make the university safer? As it stands now, the only state that allows students to carry firearms on a public university campus is Utah.
Wouldn’t allowing students to carry guns on campus only increase the probability of another Virginia Tech or Northern Illinois-like incident? How would campus police be able to distinguish a shooting suspect if the victims have guns as well?
There are ways to avoid accidents such as this. There are ways to prevent incidents like Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois from happening if we just pay attention and are more observant. Too many students feel they have no one to go to about problems they have in school (i.e. bullies, grades, roommate issues, etc) and too many students turn to plotting violent acts of crime against those who have caused some type of emotional or physical harm.
In the grand scheme of things, proposing something such as this requires a bit more thought as well as more consideration of the students, faculty and staff of each individual college and university campus. It requires careful and strategic planning on the part of campus police departments. If this proposition were to pass, no one knows exactly what is going to happen at any given moment.
Latimer, a post-baccalaureate English student, can be reached via [email protected].
