This week, I've decided to prowl Reuters news service for the latest and greatest in news articles. The first thing that came up was the immediate story about the University of Texas shooting this morning, which sparks my newest dialogue:
Should students (and professors) be allowed to carry firearms on campus?
First off, a disclaimer: I'm not packing heat. I'm not even packing warm. Your prof is a duck in a shooting gallery. But rather than presenting articles, I'm going to present two websites, one on each side, and you can discuss any aspect of these. Which is the more compelling argument? Should we, or should we not, be allowed to carry guns on campus?
When perusing these two sites, take into account not only their arguments, but their presentation. Consider the context; remember what we've been going over in class regarding framing the argument.
The site for carrying guns on campus can be found HERE.
The site against carrying guns on campus can be found HERE.
You can frame the argument against the backdrop of the Virginia Tech shootings, the increased crime wave on Kent State's campus, and the current national debate about the Second Amendment of the Constitution.
300-500 words. Have fun.
-- MP
Should colleges allow the right to bear arms? Absolutely not. Regardless of the fact that there has been constant fear that someone will open fire on a campus does not mean that allowing everyone to wear a sidearm is going to control another person from opening fire and harming others.
ReplyDeleteBad idea. Absolute bad idea. Allowing someone to carry a firearm that is not qualified causes so many hazards. Should random qualified people be allowed to carry a firearm? Absolutely. But- these people need to be qualified. Meaning: This person has to have no criminal background. This person must take a written and physical test at least every other year on the weapon that they carry and must also qualify via pop-up targets as well.
I spent a year in Iraq with people qualified on an rifle (M4), handgun (M9), and a machine gun (50cal). My comrades spent years and years stateside qualifying with each weapon and I cannot tell you how many accidental negligent discharges that we experienced from our company and other units on base. Just because a weapon is “on safe” does not mean that it is safe. Just because you did not pull the trigger, does not mean the bolt will not fly forward if the magazine it tapped hard enough or the butt stock hits the ground. A weapon is not a joke- and every day Joes sometimes do not realize how quickly an accident happens. An average Joe does not know the reality of having someone turn his or her own weapon upon them or coming back to the weapon’s hiding place and it being missing.
Granted, college students are supposed to be mature human beings getting ready for the real world. That’s all well and good, but I can not explain how many times that I have experienced frat boys making a mockery of themselves in their own front yard, some loud obnoxious female picking up her sloppy friend at Mugs, or a Kent Police officer giving someone a sobriety test of St Rt 59. Alcohol. It happens, especially in the college atmosphere. It impairs our judgment. And sadly, I have even been that obnoxious female at Mugs that was picking my sloppy friend off the ground. Who is to say that someone under the influence of alcohol and a bad night does not have the urge to go on a shooting spree?
And if this person decides to go on a shooting spree, who is going to stop him? Everyone on campus that is unqualified, shooting aimlessly at this lone shooter?
I do not believe guns should be allowed on college campuses. First, I’d like to point out that college students are known for doing some crazy things, including getting themselves incredibly intoxicated rather often. Now, please consider the dangers of guns on a college campus while drunk or high people are running around acting stupid. Not a grand idea. Since the administrators of colleges are supposed to keep the students safe, I don’t believe they would allow guns on campus. And that’s a good thing in my opinion. If everyone was allowed to carry a gun on campus there would be a lot of accidents and possibly a lot of NOT accidents.
ReplyDeletePutting guns in the hands of anyone on campus doesn’t seem like it would stop shootings from happening. The way I see it… the more guns, the more danger. Allowing anyone to carry a deadly weapon on campus would probably cause more problems than stop them. The website “for” concealed guns states that they don’t think EVERYONE should carry a gun, but just those who have one and are allowed to carry it other places. I still don’t think that’s a good idea. The website “against” concealed guns explained that college students carrying guns are more likely to be involved in risky behavior. It would not be safe to have someone who is likely to do something dangerous carrying a gun around.
If I knew there were numerous students walking around Kent’s campus with concealed weapon’s I probably wouldn’t go to this school. I can only imagine the kinds of danger that would be lurking. Kent isn’t exactly the safest campus on the world as clearly proven over the past year or so. I don’t think guns would solve the problem. I think they would make it worse. Guns can end up in the wrong hands… and that wouldn’t be pretty.
From James Piscura...MP
ReplyDeleteJames Piscura
The prevalence of crime on campus makes it difficult to simply disregard calls for an armed student body. Any option that makes students feel safer should be put on the table. But after considering the possibility of walking to Rosie’s in the dead of night, having to eye the pants and purses of potentially drunk concealed carriers, we can at least strike an armed undergrad population from the list of potential solutions. The proposition just isn’t a feasible answer to the crime increase. A “fun loving” college campus is not the place to introduce firearms.
Every Thursday and Friday, the campus becomes a haven for drunks stumbling back from bars and frats. Some may even be drinking on campus in dorms. Now considering the number of drunks stumbling the sidewalks and hallways at a given time, we might suggest that Kent State is basically a big party on the weekends. It’s common knowledge that guns and parties do not go together very well. Although the line has been repeated over and over again, I agree with the notion that guns should not be introduced into this age of experimentation. This responsibility should be placed on the campus police, not the young, inexperienced (and possibly intoxicated) student body.
And yet, according to the gun control site, there is a “campus carry” law pending in Ohio. A campus where loaded guns are scattered around dorms and carried by classmates is not exactly conducive to learning. For those that have not been around guns their entire lives, introduction into such an environment is conducive to paranoia and panic.
Consider a politics classroom where gun control is being discussed. Those that are for second amendment rights are armed with guns in their concealed holsters. Perhaps a gun is placed on the desk to avoid uncomfortable seating. For those suburb kids or city dwellers that only see guns in movies, this situation is not something to which a person can easily adjust. Those statistically more liberal city dwellers would feel intimidated by their second amendment loving peers, and would perhaps keep their voices down in a debate. In a college setting, an situation in which students are placed in the classroom to learn, there needs to be a focus on creating an environment where students are challenged, not threatened.
It demands to be recognized that the Kent State administration acknowledged the increase in crime over the past few years, then decided funds would be better spent on erecting meaningless statues, fancying up a functional bus stop, and putting grass in the middle of Risman Plaza. I hope that I’m speaking from the position of ignorance and that the administration did set aside more money for campus police and security without my knowledge, but I fear that that is not the case. Kent State continues to deny the fact that students are feeling less safe as the years pass, and does nothing to assuage our concerns, apart from sending out weekly letters where an issue may be addressed in a sentence or two. In order for KSU students to really feel safe, the administration should increase the amount of patrols, increase the number of campus police on duty, and adopt measures to reward student vigilance. And if that fails, then lets give a bunch of drunk kids revolvers and see what happens.
From James Piscura...MP
ReplyDeletePart I
The prevalence of crime on campus makes it difficult to simply disregard calls for an armed student body. Any option that makes students feel safer should be put on the table. But after considering the possibility of walking to Rosie’s in the dead of night, having to eye the pants and purses of potentially drunk concealed carriers, we can at least strike an armed undergrad population from the list of potential solutions. The proposition just isn’t a feasible answer to the crime increase. A “fun loving” college campus is not the place to introduce firearms.
Every Thursday and Friday, the campus becomes a haven for drunks stumbling back from bars and frats. Some may even be drinking on campus in dorms. Now considering the number of drunks stumbling the sidewalks and hallways at a given time, we might suggest that Kent State is basically a big party on the weekends. It’s common knowledge that guns and parties do not go together very well. Although the line has been repeated over and over again, I agree with the notion that guns should not be introduced into this age of experimentation. This responsibility should be placed on the campus police, not the young, inexperienced (and possibly intoxicated) student body.
And yet, according to the gun control site, there is a “campus carry” law pending in Ohio. A campus where loaded guns are scattered around dorms and carried by classmates is not exactly conducive to learning. For those that have not been around guns their entire lives, introduction into such an environment is conducive to paranoia and panic.
Consider a politics classroom where gun control is being discussed. Those that are for second amendment rights are armed with guns in their concealed holsters. Perhaps a gun is placed on the desk to avoid uncomfortable seating. For those suburb kids or city dwellers that only see guns in movies, this situation is not something to which a person can easily adjust. Those statistically more liberal city dwellers would feel intimidated by their second amendment loving peers, and would perhaps keep their voices down in a debate. In a college setting, an situation in which students are placed in the classroom to learn, there needs to be a focus on creating an environment where students are challenged, not threatened.
James Piscura Part II
ReplyDeleteIt demands to be recognized that the Kent State administration acknowledged the increase in crime over the past few years, then decided funds would be better spent on erecting meaningless statues, fancying up a functional bus stop, and putting grass in the middle of Risman Plaza. I hope that I’m speaking from the position of ignorance and that the administration did set aside more money for campus police and security without my knowledge, but I fear that that is not the case. Kent State continues to deny the fact that students are feeling less safe as the years pass, and does nothing to assuage our concerns, apart from sending out weekly letters where an issue may be addressed in a sentence or two. In order for KSU students to really feel safe, the administration should increase the amount of patrols, increase the number of campus police on duty, and adopt measures to reward student vigilance. And if that fails, then lets give a bunch of drunk kids revolvers and see what happens.
I do not think students or professors should be allowed to carry firearms on campus. If students are given the privilege to have firearms then it brings more confusion and violence onto the campus. Students are already doing foolish acts on campus and if firearms were allowed, who knows what could possibly happen especially if the student carrying the gun is under the influence. In order to keep the campus safe, guns of any sort should not be allowed. If a gun were to be put in students hands then more danger would emerge and the campus would no longer be “safe”. The first article is a pure example to why guns should not be allowed. I do not think it matters if the gunman was under influence or just angry, either way he had no reason to have a gun on campus better yet be shooting the gun on campus. Incidents like that make me angry because innocent people lose their lives because of one stupid individual. I am all for the second article. Guns should not be allowed and it should not be under discussion for them to be allowed on college campuses. Each reason listed in that article is exactly what happens on most college campuses and if students were given the opportunity to carry guns then anything from serious injury to death could take place. If students at Kent State were allowed to carry guns, who knows how much worse the campus could be. Students could have names of other students of whom they want to shoot. This would just cause more confusion and just make the campus very dangerous. Kent State is not the “safest” school but with students not being allowed to carry guns makes it a whole lot safer compared to other schools who have to endure shootings. In the end guns should not be allowed and no discussion should be made to change that.
ReplyDeleteI for one do not agree with allowing students and professors to carry concealed weapons on campus. After reading the site against carrying guns on campus I practically agreed with nearly every aspect. I am very pessimistic about allowing college students to carry concealed weapons on campus and into the same classrooms as me. In my opinion it is absolutely a horrible idea. I believe that this idea would completely backfire in many situations and epically fail. Kent State University is not the safest campus, as proven by the recent tragedies and criminal violence over the past few years. We are a known as a wild party school. By allowing students to willfully carry concealed weapons on campus is truly asking for trouble. No matter how much I hate admitting it, college students aren’t the most mature students. I believe that if we were to allow students who indulge in partying to carry concealed weapons it would in turn, lead to more accidents than anything. I don’t want to have to worry about being in a classroom next to a student who snaps and abuses his/her right to carry a gun. What is stopping a “licensed’ concealed weapon carrier from having a bad night at the bars and releasing his/her rage by going on campus and shooting students. Or what is stopping the person who woke up on the wrong side of the bed and didn’t have their premium roast coffee from McDonald’s yet from going on a shooting spree in a classroom. Even though bearing arms is a right under the second amendment, I believe it is a horrible idea to trust college students with exercising this right. I believe that the only ones allowed to be carrying weapons on campus should be our campus police. We entrust these people with protecting our lives and that is their job to be carrying the guns. Not students.
ReplyDeleteI do not support carrying guns on campus. I think it is completely unneccary to do so and it creates a huge safety risk. I would not feel safe if I was around thousands of students each day knowing that they had a weapon in their bookbags or purses that could possibly end my life in only an instant. I am not denying that there is much violence on today's college campuses but I am denying that carrying fire arms would prevent that. Violence is inevitable; especially among young adults who are capable of feeling at times undestructable or invincible. College campuses are notoriously known for their drug and alcohal abuse or experimentation among young adults in the communtiy. Drugs and alcohal can significantly impair rationale thinking and I would not want to go out on a weekend knowing that I could possibly see intoxicated students carrying fire arms. I personally would never carry a gun. The second amendment does allow the right to bear arms, but I do not trust everyone with that responsibilty. As I looked over the two websites I noticed a few interesting claims of each. The website that is for guns on campus argued their reasong well, but they did not give many examples of why they felt the need to carry firearms and focused more on the "why not?". As I viewed the website I could not be convinced by the arguments made. College campuses should be viewed as a calm non threatening enviroment. I feel that carrying fire arms on campus is a complete risk to students lives and it is unessary. We should be concentrating on keeping harm away from students and not bringing it directly to the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhen you take into account all of the thousands of college campuses nationwide, Kent State University has the honorable mention of being notoriously known for an awful occurrence involving guns and violence. May 4th, 1970 was a day of unnecessary events that took the lives of 4 innocent bystanders. Although it was not the students themselves that had firearms, it stands true as a lesson on how quickly a situation can escalate when guns get involved into an equation.
ReplyDeleteThat was the 70’s and this is now. More than ever, I find it hard to believe that certain colleges would even consider guns allowed to be carried on campus. Guns were created as a last resort to safety and protection. The opposing argument says that by restricting students to carry arms, you are restricting their right to self-defense and discriminating against lawfully-armed citizens. However, in response to that argument I believe in the underlying notion that as long as nobody else is carrying a gun, you have no reason to carry a gun as well. Any altercation that occurs can immediately get out of hand once any type of weapon is involved.
Allowing students to carry guns would invoke fear in other students to have a gun of their own for protection purposes. The majority of our society runs on fear and the “what-ifs”, so why make another unnecessary fear among students? Johnny sitting next to me in Psychology may be creepy on his own, without the fact that he would potentially have full permission to legally carry a gun on him on campus.
Kent State’s crime rate has been on the steady incline within the few couple of years. I find myself constantly surrounded by it. I live 3 doors down from a rapist on Sherman street. I was next-door neighbors with Christopher Kernich, who was jumped on Main street and beaten to his death last Fall. My friends’ apartment in Eagles Landing was held up and robbed at gunpoint last May. And I work at Campus Book and Supply, which was broken into overnight within the first 2 weeks of school this semester. With all of these reasons, you would think that I would want to carry a gun on me at all times to be as safe as possible. However, I know that you can’t fight violence with violence. In order for the violence to stop, you have to eliminate the potential risk in the first place, which to me means having very strict policies on campus regarding guns and weapons for all.
The question is should college students and professor have the right to bear arm? My answer is an explicit no before even reading information on the two websites provided. There are so many crazy people out there, especially college students. People filled with so much resentment that would probably shoot someone over an accidental cut in line at the hub. Giving anyone the right to carry a gun could cause a shooting just because a student was mad at a professor for a bad grade. People regret things they do every day. If everyone could carry a gun people may start regretting shooting someone over a minor disagreement like iphone verses blackberry.
ReplyDeleteNow on to the actual article “Keep Guns Off Campus,” their reason number one is the most important thing to think about. “Arming Students Would Make Campuses More Dangerous Every Hour of Every Day. “ At all times people will feel in danger because at anytime someone could pull out a gun over any given reason and shoot. Could you imagine walking to class and having to dodge a bullet from an argument across the way? This leads to reason number 3. Arming Students Would Not Deter the Rare Campus Shooting. These shootings will become a normal thing almost like car accidents. You hear crazy car or school bus accidents on the news but you never hear about slight vender benders. Soon little incidents of shootings will become common and we will only hear about the ones that kill thousands. If you’re allowed to carry guns the word shooting on campus may just become typical.
Last reason they mention is “There Are Better Ways to Make College Campuses Safer.” We can make more precautions like colleges and schools are doing after Virginia Tech. Protection that should have been thought into more before that tragic event. Live and learn. Every campus is trying to improve their safety every day.
Having access to a gun on campus is simply a disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention most college students probably have no idea how to properly handle a weapon including myself. I understand college campuses can be dangerous. Horrible things happen to good people, but we can’t live our lives in constant fear.
Allowing students to carry guns on campus could possibly be the worst idea anyone has ever had. All college campus' are filled with a number of students that drink alcohol, use drugs, and get them selves into bad situations, nothing good would happen if those students were able to carry a gun along with those things. Colleges have gone to great lengths to make sure their students are safe, such as; emergency phones located throughout campus, security employees, and cameras being installed.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if the argument against students carrying guns is better written than the article arguing for students to be allowed to carry guns on campus. I don't think this only because it is what I believe in but because the content and the way the argument is written is much easier to read, more organized, and backs up its argument much better. The Case Against Guns on Campus article is straight to the point and gives many reasons that back up the thesis. The article has a strong thesis and many strong arguments for it. The article includes many statistics and numbers to help influence the audience to believe that guns on campus is wrong.
The article that believed guns should be allowed on college campus' was hard to follow. It was not half as organized as the other article and did not clearly state reasons to why the thesis was right, and why the audience should agree with the writer that students should be allowed to carry guns on campus.
Although before reading the two articles I was already against students being allowed to carry guns on campus the argument for it helped me believe I had the right stance on the argument for the exact reasons that were stated throughout the argument.
I strongly believe that guns should not be allowed on campus. There really is no point in bringing a gun to class or with you while walking around campus. Unless you have the intent of using it. And even the it would be illegal. People that already carry guns around need to have a conceal carry but like most people they probably don’t. Like the student at the University of Texas, most likely he did not have a license to carry a gun and just the fact of bringing it into a library is completely against the law. People on the other side of this argument might say that there is a higher risk of crime taking place on campuses everywhere and people will only feel safe if they bring their weapons with them to class. But I think that by allowing students to bring their guns on campus, it only allows them the opportunity to use it. For the amount of things that we don’t know like people bringing weapons other than guns with them on campus, setting an official law of not being allowed to keep them on campus is going to be a hard task to uphold. Unless they install metal detectors in every building and hire security I don’t think I would feel safe if a law was passed. Its already scary knowing that people bring that stuff with them to class, knowing that there is a law that says that students can bring their concealed weapon to class would make me never want to go to a university. You never know what people may be capable of. Even the amount of events that have been happening on campus and at other universities I think that allowing guns on campus would only promote violence and possible harm that could come out of it to students and those who are carrying the gun. I can definitely see both sides of the story and why people might want to have guns with them but I do not believe in that.
ReplyDeleteThe most dangerous thing a college can do is allow students and professors to carry guns on campus. I think that would make the university more unsafe. I agree with everything the article said about not being allowed to carry weapons on campus. I knew a person who had so much to do, so much pressure and she cracked. She couldn’t take it anymore and even considered suicide. Could you imagine if she had a gun on her? Could you imagine her having a gun after having several drinks? Yes there needs to be security measures to protect people on campus from gunmen but having people carry guns themselves, would not make it safer.
ReplyDeleteCollege is time when students drink the most because their parents are here to watch over them and they feel they have all the freedom in the world. Drinking impairs your judgment. A person who has had several drinks and can no longer think straight is danger to others and to him/herself. They may just be playing around with a gun but that is how most deaths happen.
Though we have a right to bear arms, I feel it would be very dangerous if that law applied to everyone especially if they don’t do proper background checks on the person. Guns strike fear in peoples’ hearts and if we allow guns on campus, we would be living in fear every day, not knowing what is going to happen. The gun could accidently go off in a person’s backpack or someone could be reaching in their bag for a pencil but accidently shoot the gun off.
There is a reason that police officers and other qualified people carry guns; they go through tests and checks in order to carry that weapon. The average person does not carry a weapon because we aren’t all qualified to, especially if they would test us and do checks on us.
It’s easy for the cops or SWAT team to take down one or two gunmen but can you imagine if they needed to hunt down a dozen of them or twenty? That’s what it would seem like with a bunch of people just randomly shooting off their guns for “kicks”.
I was not surprised by the statistics. I have known ever since high school when my government professor lectured on the topic of concealed carry that an increased number of people carrying fire arms actually decreases gun related violence. However I believe that a college campus is no place for students to be carrying guns. The website for students with concealed carry accounted for college binge drinking by saying it would still be illegal for students to have a gun on their person when they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. I personally believe that just because it is illegal doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be likely. In fact if concealed carry would be extended to students there would most likely be a massive rush of students seeking to obtain concealed carry permits. The same students who like to go out several nights of the week and binge drink. From experience I have heard people talking to themselves saying things like, “I was so drunk I don’t remember anything.” What if that thing they happened to not remember was shooting somebody down at a party. There are plenty of testosterone driven alcohol fueled bouts where a gun should have no place. One of the largest arguments against allowing students to carry guns is the fact that this particular right would be abused at parties and bars. I firmly believe that. Instead since most college gun violence occurs during the day while students are in class. I would like to submit my idea that all professors and faculty are required to have adequate fire arm training and concealed carry. Think about it there is a professor in every room, in every building, generally professors are much more mature than students and this way not every twenty something drunk at a party has a gun under their arm.
ReplyDeleteGuns, in general, should not be used unless someone is in a threatened position where it would be absolutely necessary to neutralize the opponent. I believe that if guns were to be on campus that the wrong person could turn a slight disagreement into a deadly encounter. Perhaps there is no evidence of this presented, or statistical evidence that proves this, but every human is different. Laws may be set to help enforce the campus gun control, but the fact of the matter is, college students are not mature or stable enough to carry such a weapon with them all the time.
ReplyDeleteI do not mean that they are not capable of handling a gun safely, but that they can be reckless when under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Sure, everyone is different under the stress of either of those two substances, but should we really allow every student to carry a firearm for safety? I believe that we shouldn’t need them, and if a situation arose where a student has lost his mind and started shooting randomly, people would know how to handle such a delicate yet intense situation.
Also, the argument that students who possess firearms would be over the age of 21 and mature enough to handle them, does not mean the guns would not find their way into the wrong hands. You have to be 21 to drink alcohol, but 18-year-old freshman usually find a way to get drunk. Marijuana is illegal in most states, but students of every age can easily obtain them at any time. Just because the gun can only be bought and supposedly used by a person who is 21 or older does not mean that they still won’t sell them illegally.
I say no to gun violence, which should mean fewer guns.
When we want to curb alcoholism, we preach the ways of drinking responsibly, not handing out flasks full of rum. When we want students to protect students of STDs, we hand out condoms, not test-tube samples of each individual disease. To get rid of gun violence on campus, the first step would be to not allow guns on campus, wouldn’t you think?
I think that people should not be allowed to bear firearms on campuses. There are several reasons to back my belief. There are too many bad things that happen on campuses all across the country already, and most of them do not even involve guns in any way. Some instances are including knives and other smaller weapons compared to guns it seems. There are too many bad things that could possibly go wrong to allow a gun to be carried on campus. Pertaining to this area and our local Kent State crime already existing, the allowance to carry weapons such as guns would just be outrageous. I feel the majority of the university would not feel safe and be worried about their safety and lack of protection throughout their time here at Kent. There are too many stupid people out in the world today that would shoot first and ask questions later. Although it is legal for any ole Joe Blow to go and get a permit to carry a weapon, but that doesn’t mean he can take it anywhere he wants. A good example to support that is the signs outside of schools and hospitals where the signs prohibit any unlawful firearms being lugged into the facility. This somewhat recent law is a great effort to try and protect the innocent society. Security is top priority, as life is a precious thing and should not be taken lightly. We must go great lengths to try and keep our loved ones safe and that’s why we put our trust into political leaders. Allowing someone to carry a firearm onto a campus with thousands of innocent, young kids trying to get an education to better themselves and obtain a career is wrong and should never be allowed. I reiterate, safety is number one in today’s world, no matter where you go.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe guns should be allowed on campus, especially on a big campus like ours. We already have enough beatings and muggings without the use of a gun. If guns were allowed, why bother taking the time to beat someone up when you can shoot them and take off? It would make it way too easy for people to hurt one another. We don’t have enough security to patrol our campus to keep us all safe, and the allowance of guns would only make this a bigger problem. Allowing guns onto our campus would just make it harder for the security and police to keep us safe. Many go out and get drunk and some people have shorter tempers when they are drunk so what is going to stop them from pulling out a gun to solve the argument? I understand it is a right, but when you are going to a place where so many people attend school, and even live, why take the risk of putting so many people in danger? If you want to use the argument of protection you have probably done something to someone to make you feel you need protection, you are alone late at night when you shouldn’t be and you don’t have the phone number for an escort. I carry pepper spray with me and I feel protected enough with that. If guns were allowed I wouldn’t want to only carry pepper spray because you can shoot from a good distance so why increase everyone’s worries about guns on campus? We are already afraid enough with all the muggings, robberies, beatings, murders, and raping in America. I don’t want any of that on our campus so why bring a weapon that could only make it easier for people to commit these crimes while drawing less attention at night? I don’t care if people own guns, but they need to keep them at home.
ReplyDeleteBefore even looking at the two articles my answer to should we be allowed to carry guns on campus, was absolutely not. I would never agree to carrying guns on campus because I do not even like the fact of carrying guns in general. I come from a family who does not own any gun at all. Not even a gun for hunting because no one in my family likes to hunt and I come from an area surrounded by woods and a high school that gets the first day of hunting season off. There are so many reasons why that idea is a bad one. And I agree with the second article completely. Also, I do not know of many people who would agree with allowing students and professors to carry guns. Our campuses seem to be dangerous enough without introducing firearms. There are always new incidents of robberies, beatings, rape, and even murders. Just last year we, Kent campus, had a young man die because he was so brutally beat up. And my friend, who goes to Akron University, which is the next college over, just got his house robbed of almost everything valuable to him. And it seems that in Kent you hear of a lot of fights that occur. And how easily could those fights get out of hand if guns were thrown into the mix. And campuses are supposed to safe. A place where you don't have to walk around scared. If that was the case no one would go to that school. And that is the exact feeling I and I am sure many others would feel if guns were allowed on campus. And no parent would want to send their child to a place where guns are freely roaming around with the possibility of their child getting shot a lot greater then on a campus without firearms. So, why is it even a question of why we should, or should not be allowed to carry guns? There is an easy answer to that question and it is N-O.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of students concealing a gun on campus would really bring up a lot of confrontation and arguments threw out campuses after the choice is made. Even more argumentation then there is today about whether it should be legal or not. I think that it would be crazy to allow students to carry a fire arm around, it would definitely increase campus crime and force more immediate matters and even more confrontation between schools and even the United States. With the amount of violence on campuses already occurring in the world today, adding guns or more guns to the mix is not going to solve any of these problems. It may make students feel a lot safer walking around alone or at night but what I believe will happen is that many of these students who will take advantage of this argument and use these guns as “leverage”. Whether it may be protection or not what would stop a student from using that gun against say a professor for giving a bad grade or expressing an opinion in class that one would not approve of; or what if a student uses the fire arm against another student for not letting them cheat or for not typing a paper that they wanted them to for them. Everyone around college campuses would be scared for their lives if they were to do something wrong or against someone else’s beliefs, whether they knew they did something wrong or not. It is just too much power for one student let alone a whole campus full of students to carry around a gun. That’s why campuses have their own police or security. Yeah a lot of people don’t think they are a big help but it is better to have a person that’s job is to protect and has training with a fire arm then a student that has absolutely no training to carry around one. Even with the law being the way it is now, there are students who carry these weapons and use them irresponsibly already. For example what happened at Virginia Tech a couple years ago. It is very hard for students or anyone in the matter to be trusted with a fire arm even if it is for their own and others protection. It is very clear that both sides have a very strong and valid argument for and against, but I see it as adding more violence to the world then less.
ReplyDeleteI'm the first person to say that I am very much against guns, but I can't deny a person the right to protect themselves. Being a smidgen over 5 feet tall and weighing roughly 108 pounds, I know that I don't stand much of a chance against a 200 pound 6 foot tall guy who wants my money, but I do carry mace and a pocket knife with me at all times on my lanyard. That's as far as I'm willing to go. I know my unfortunate luck and having a gun on me is a bad idea. I don't think that allowing guns on campus is going to do much to help the student body. It's bad enough that this school is recognized for the May 1970 shootings and then the partying. Every weekend, no matter the weather the drunks come out in droves, there's always a fight and the cops are hauling another drunk frat guy to jail for disorderly conduct, etc. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "I'm gonna KILL HIM" or something along those lines. Some of the nicest people I know can turn on a dime with alcohol or drugs and become someone you don't recognize. And the fact of the matter is, if we allow guns to be on college campuses, who is to stop that person from hunting their victim down? It was mentioned in the Keep Guns Off Campus article that 18-24 is an extremely volatile age, and I can fully attest to that. Letting people carry guns around in our classrooms and dorms could lead to all sorts of behavior. No one is necessarily predictable when it comes to drugs/alcohol when combined with anger or sadness. It's sad to see that the student at U of T felt so desperate that he had to bring attention to himself by shooting into the air on campus before taking his own life. We don't know what goes on behind closed doors, maybe if someone had paid more attention to him they could have prevented this. If we allow guns on campus, we encourage people to really do what they want. How can we say "Oh, you can have a gun but you can't fire it" and expect anyone to follow it. And when it comes to robbery, which there is no shortage of here in Kent, it kind of blurs the lines between threatening someone's life with it, or just having it in their pocket. All in all, I really think guns on campus is an awful idea that would just spur more problems than solve.
ReplyDeleteIn the world that we live in today, I do not believe that students or the respected universities employee’s, (besides university security or police) should be allowed to carry any type of firearm onto the campus. With so much violence in today’s world, and so much hatred towards others, carrying weapons can create disasters. Movies, television, and video games have corrupted the youth into having the same mindset as their favorite character in whatever media they are watching or participating in. Not only should there be no firearms on our campuses, but security needs to be on a high alert to prevent such incidents to occur. Campus security and police are on constant patrol to prevent such massacres to occur. University campuses also are traced with emergency telephones, cameras, and safety procedures to protect their students. I know here in Kent, walking around alone at night is a case of bad news. I know of several incidents of robberies, and gang violence that has happened last year and has leaked over to this year. There are only so many securities and police officer our campus can have so having other preventive measures such as cameras and emergency telephones can help prevent these incidents from occurring. College campuses are supposed to be a place where a student should be free of fear such as mass shootings. If fire arms were all of a suddenly allowed, then which student or teacher wouldn’t be concerned for their lives on a daily basis? We as students all ready have enough to worry about, so why and more stress and fear to our lives? Is the world we live in really that bad that everyone needs to carry a weapon to protect themselves? Firearms are meant to stay at home, or to be used by the right people who are trained to do so, not the average college student.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think there are enough there is any reason to have a gun on campus. Yes, there have been instances in the world when shooters have come onto college campuses and opened fire, but those instances are the very slim exception — not the rule.
ReplyDeletePeople are in too close of a proximity to other people living in residence halls to have guns. The person who owns the gun may be the expert on it. He or she could know that gun inside-out. In his or her hands, that gun could be as harmless as a cap gun. But what happens when drunken Johnny comes in from a three-day binge blows his brains out because he thought it would be cool to play with it.
Gun on campuses would be more harmful than they would be beneficial. Sure, if there was a shooter at the particular spot where someone had a gun, the owner of the gun might be able to pop off a few rounds. But what is a handgun versus shotgun. Or a machine gun. Or a, I don’t know, grenade launcher. When people shoot on campuses, they aren’t shooting with their granddad’s revolver. They are bringing the proverbial heat. Handguns can’t match up.
I think there’s a chance that the allowance of guns on campus could raise gun control problems. If someone is allowed to have a gun, what is the person or their friend or just someone who knows about the gun from solving their problems with it. Nothing, that’s what.