Should Guns Be Banned at Universities? In recent years, news reports and social media often feature stories in which universities have been attacked and students could not defend themselves. There has been an ongoing debate between students and universities whether they should be allowed to carry a gun to universities or not. The controversy over banning of guns at universities is best understood as a disagreement whether guns make a situation worst when a student is allowed to carry one. There are two stakeholders in this controversy the people that agree that guns should be allowed in universities and the other side in which they disagree with guns being allowed at universities.Students hoping to attend college, professors, …show more content…
Manny Fernandez and Dave Montgomery say we should not allow guns at universities because they believe that not everyone owning a gun is responsible and they care about everyone 's safety in universities. Since their beliefs and values differ from those of the first stakeholders, they tend to have different reasons, and they tend to cite different evidence in support of their claim. For example, in their article “Texas Lawmaker Pass a Bill Allowing Guns at colleges” Manny Fernandez and Dave Montgomery argue a principal claim in stark contrast to the position held by John Lott. Whereas John Lott said, “Guns should be allowed at universities to allow the students to defend themselves against criminals,” (Lott, p.1). Manny Fernandez and Dave Montgomery reply, “Guns should not be allowed at universities it places the students at risk.” (Fernandez and Montgomery, p.1) And Manny Fernandez and Dave Montgomery further support their principal claim with reasons that reflect their values and beliefs. To convince the audience that guns should not be allowed at universities, Manny Fernandez and Dave Montgomery explain, “Allowing guns at universities place students and professors in serious danger.” (Fernandez and Montgomery, p.1). And to prove that “An armed society is a safe society, so anytime you have gun control, there is far more opportunity to become victims,” (Fernandez and Montgomery, p.1) they remind the audience that banning guns is valuable and worth protecting. Manny Fernandez and Dave Montgomery’s evidence also reflects their knowledge. When arguing gun control, for example, they mention examples, such as accidents occurred with a gun in universities. And when putting forward their belief that guns should not be allowed they cite "The criminals aren’t going to obey the laws. It’s the responsible folks who we should be encouraged to
One of the common arguments is that there is a higher suicide risk. People think that students would shoot themselves on campus because they had easier access to a gun. Another reason people state that concealed carry on campus is a bad idea is because they think that it would be a distraction to the other students. Anti-gun citizens have the idea that if a student or staff member has a gun on their hip the students will be unable to focus and thus won’t be able to be successful in their studies. “Public safety should be left to professionally qualified police officers, not private citizens with little or no expert training” (Procon). People think that police are more capable of protecting the people because they have to go through the academy and have extensive training. “A Taser is as effective as a handgun against an armed assailant” (Common Arguments). Another explanation people have is that if someone is firing a firearm the best solution is not firing back. They think that the more bullets that are fired the more chance of innocent people being injured. Would police be able to identify an active shooter from an armed and helping citizen? These people that worry this is because they are afraid that the police would shoot and hurt an innocent
In “Stop Worrying About Guns in the Classroom. They’re Already here.” the author, Erik Gilbert, argues in favor of the law allowing the concealed carry of firearms in college campuses. Gilbert claims that it’s futile to be “worried by the prospect of having guns in [the] classroom” because he believes that even before the bill was passed, some students and faculty were already carrying firearms to campus (Gilbert). Furthermore, he insinuates that despite the presence of firearms, there were no incidents of student or faculty causing harm. To support his argument, the author provides incidents which have occurred over the last decade at his campus, such as accidental discharge of guns in dorms, firearms in student’s vehicles, and one faculty member who was discovered to be in possession of a gun in an on-campus facility. Considering these incidents and previous knowledge of “prevailing regional attitudes towards guns”, the author assumes that significant numbers of students, and possibly faculty, bring guns on campus regularly (Gilbert). As for those who are afraid due to the new law, he declares to them that firearm permit-holders are not dangerous by comparing the rate of their crimes to that of police officers. He also reasons that permit holders need to be at least 21 to qualify—claiming that the more mature students qualify—and have background checks performed.
Thesis Statement: Firearms should be allowed on college campuses because it would give students and faculty a way to defend themselves if an attacker such as Cho tried to injure or kill them.
Students for Concealed Carry, an organization for concealed gun carry on campus, say, “The crux of the SGFS essay is the undeniable fact that college campuses typically have lower crime rates than the cities in which they reside” (642). In “Why Our Campuses Are Safer Without Concealed Handguns”, an article against concealed handgun carry, states that, “Our colleges and universities are safe sanctuaries for learning…” (633). They both have the same point of
Concealed weapons on college campuses have been a debatable issue for a long time now. “Statistically, colleges and universities are relatively safe environments for students, faculty, and administrators”, but will concealed carry affect this (Kirszner and Mandell, 626)?Supporters argue that being able to carry a concealed weapon lowers the percentage of shooting or accidents and that it is simply constitutional to have the right to bear arms. On the other hand, non-supporters believe that this will affect the way of learning in school, and raise anxiety. While it is true that having a concealed weapon can make the person holding it feel safe, we should not allow it because it may bring more negative rather than positive things into the college campuses.
On the essay, David, Skorton and Glenn Altschuler also point out how uneasy police officers feel at the idea of having students with guns on campus, because in the case of a tragedy happening there is no distinction between the innocent students is and the delinquent. A “former provost of Idaho State University” stated her concern about the insecurities towards this new law insisting that “When you’re responding to a situation like that, and someone’s in plain clothes with a gun, who’s the bad guy? Who are you going to take out to save the lives of…other students you are trying to protect?”
Gun-control laws are a very controversial topic right now in the U.S., especially when it comes to allowing concealed-carry holders on college campuses. Nevertheless, guns should be permitted for concealed carry on college campuses if the carriers have concealed-carry licenses because mass shootings occur mostly in gun-free zones. There have been many incidents in which concealed-carry holders have disarmed attackers, and concealed-carry holders are overwhelmingly law-abiding citizens. However, the argument’s opponents believe guns should not be allowed on college campuses for various reasons, including: professors might be afraid to issue bad grades, a gun may go off by accident, college
Allowing students and faculty who are licensed to conceal and carry a handgun on campus will result in reduced school shootings and make campuses a safer place to be. The debate remains, will the student who carries a concealed weapon provide protection and deter possible criminal activity or could the well-intended individual escalate an explosive situation, causing more harm. Future statics of criminal activities from the campuses that allow students to carry concealed handguns will be the true test.
In the article, “Campus carry is problematic, but not dangerous”, Mac McCann discusses the issue of campus carry, specifically on the University of Texas at Austin campus. He opens by making it clear as an alum of UT he does not approve of Texas SB 11. This change allows concealed handguns in the buildings of public universities and, overall, the UT community has not welcomed it. McCann supports his position against the campus carry policy by providing anecdotes from professors tied to UT. One of the first examples was from Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at UT prior to campus carry, that pointed out that this new law has made it so that an unhappy student could, more easily, cause violence in the classroom and threaten everyone’s safety. Furthermore, Siva Vaidhyanathan, a former candidate for a dean position, explained that classrooms are places of discussion and the introduction of a weapon could make those participating hold back out of fear. Although McCann’s position is
Concealed weapons in college campus’s have been a big issue since the mass shootings in Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois Universities. Allowing for guns to be allowed in college campus’s would be a bad thing to do since it would create additional risks for students, even if weapons were allowed it wouldn’t deter the shooter, and it would detract from a healthy learning environment. So far there is only five states , Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin, that allow “concealed carry” at school campus.
Colleges desire a crime free environment, however, the fact is, many campuses already have several violent crimes that occur on a regular basis. Crime in schools and colleges is “one of the most troublesome social problems in the Nation today” (“Crime in Schools and Colleges.”). Crime is already an occurring issue because little to no changes have been made to discourage criminal activity. Seen as an ever growing issue, college crime could easily lessen if changes occurred. Criminal activity will lessen if a campus carry were enacted. Permitting gun carry will allow for a positive change, because criminals will be aware of the fact that students may possess weapons. Since 2012, more than 150 colleges in the United States have allowed concealed carry, and “not one of these campuses has seen a single resulting act of violence (including threats) or a single resulting suicide attempt” (“Common Arguments Against Campus Carry.”). This proves permitting guns will allow for a safer, more productive campus. Violence will not drastically increase if campus carry is enacted; the opposite effect will occur. If students who possess their concealed carry licenses are already allowed to carry guns into certain businesses and areas, what difference will it make to continue that carry onto a college campus. If a student wanted to commit violent acts, they could already commit them off campus property. Campus carry promotes safety, and helps diminish criminal
College campuses are more dangerous than ever because of the past decade; guns have not only been manufactured in excess, but availability and ease of accessibility. According to James Cool (2008), a supporter of guns on campus, reasoned why the increase of weapons occurred recently; “Our nation was founded … during the same time that modern firearms were invented and became readily available due to the Industr...
Guns should be banned from all college campuses nationwide. Many students, teachers, and college presidents strongly oppose hidden, loaded guns on campuses because it will lead to increased violence, accidental shootings, and the non-carrying public would feel unsafe around the carrying public. If all elementary to high schools have a strict ban on guns for their campuses, it seems logical to extend the ban up to higher education. Now that it is more common for students in high school to take dual classes on a college campus, extending would ensure safety of the minors. Guns have a purpose at other arenas, but on a campus that is intended for learning and education it would be best to keep
Guns are extremely powerful weapons. They can cause destruction, harm or even death. They can be used to defend and protect or to threaten and kill. Any way you look at it, guns are powerful tools, not only physically but socially. As college students it is important to stay abreast of the current events and issues circulating our country today, one of which is the controversial issue of gun control. It is extremely important to pay attention to where gun control laws are headed. The directions they take not only affect our nation and society but our future as well as we all move to communities and begin to raise families.
In the past years, several schools and college campuses have suffered many shooting attacks, killing innocent people who just want to become professional and finish their careers. Those shooters have been caused by other students that might have personal or mental problems that make them think that they can solve their problems by shooting and killing people. This is why many people are arguing about the second amendment, if guns should be allowed on college campuses. Some arguments are: students are going to be more secure and they will be able to defend themselves in case that someone starts shooting. However, there is also a large amount of people who believe that if guns are allowed on college campuses there would be an increase of