After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 and the Northern Illinois University shooting in 2008 the question of allowing or banning weapons on college campuses has been widely discussed. From that time and on, bills have been put forward for prohibiting and allowing guns on the university territory. At the moment, numerous campaigns to keep guns off campuses are being held. People are collecting signatures and doing everything in their power to prevent the reoccurrence of the tragedies of 2007 and 2008. Banning weapons on university and college campuses will limit dangerous violence, create a safer atmosphere and will help avoid any grave incidents connected with alcohol consumption.
Many believe that allowing students to carry guns on campus will allow them to protect themselves from possible danger. However, the danger is much less without any guns on campus to begin with. If no guns are allowed to be carried on the territory of a university or college, the number of crises situations is greatly decreased. There is that much less to defend from. It’s one thing when you are in danger of being beaten up, but it is completely different when there is a danger of being shot. Killing or even wounding someone for self-defense purposes is not innocent either. It is true that with access to a gun it may be a lot easier to protect oneself. Everything that one possesses maybe used against that very same person by the attacker. That only helps to show that the chances of protecting oneself with a gun or a weapon are not that high. Moreover, it may even make the situation more dangerous. Many criminals attack without weapons, but upon finding these in the hands of their victim, they may do something a lot worse. A simple attack may turn into a killing. However, if a person really does know how to use a weapon properly, he or she will be able to defend oneself without it. Besides, self-defense does not mean harming the attacker. It means getting away from a dangerous situation. There are numerous courses that teach self-defense. Instead of allowing weapons on campus, the administrations should make self-defense courses mandatory. This is what can truly decrease the number of wounded or killed. Moreover, the self defense skills can come in handy in their future.
In 2010 “nine states introduced bills that would legalize gun carrying on campus while another nine states proposed barring the practice” [Jervis, 2011]. This statistics shows that many choose to make and what to believe in. There are some contra arguments. The Bill of Rights is often mentioned. US citizens have the rights to carry firearms. This is granted by the Constitution. Some poeple argue that no territory should take this right away. It is also believed that allowing students to carry guns on campus would help protect them from crisis situations. For some reason, it is believed that if more students were to carry guns, shootings would occur less. 32 students and faculty were killed in the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. Another six students were killed in Illinois University in 2008. Nevertheless, people keep calling for more and more weapons to be allowed on campuses. They believe that this will make them safe and help students protect themselves from a possible attacker. But this is not the case. Moreover, this is not what people expect when sending their kids to a higher educational establishment.
Any parent wants to know that his or her son or daughter is safe at school. The same is true for colleges and universities. Abolishing weapons on these territories helps create a safe atmosphere for people to work, study, relax, communicate and spend their time. There is a lot of violence in the world. Much of it is found on campuses. Regardless of this, the administration of every college and university has to fight hard to keep all of their students and workers safe. Allowing people to carry guns with them will not bring safety. It will not bring any good, only bad. Students will be more scared and frightened of a possible attack. They will end up walking around, day by day, without knowing who to expect danger from. Why carry a gun? You don’t need it to defend oneself. If a person feels the need of carrying a gun, he or she must already be in danger. He or she must already be mixed up with the wrong people. Doing something not completely right just one time can lead to an unpleasant or even dangerous situation. These are the kinds of people that carry guns and they should not be allowed to do so. This is the more reason to prohibit them to carry weapons. It is those students that are mixed up in something not good that bring danger. An everyday student should be concerned with the timetable, with the upcoming seminars and all the exams. He or she should be worried about when the library closes and how much free time he will get this week. A normal student should not be worried about carrying weapons and defending him or herself. Only police officers carry that responsibility. They should be the only ones allowed to carry weapons on college and university campuses. As keepers of the peace, they have that right.
A university or a college campus is a special territory. It is full of students who are on their way to becoming mature adults. It is also full of students ready to have a blast any time, all the time. College fun is not the same as playground fun. It is often mixed with alcohol or something even worse. Adding possible weapons to that mixture cannot lead to anything worthwhile. It is the responsibility of the university administration to do everything possible to limit dangerous situations caused by their students. Abolishing guns on campus is exactly what will help them reach this goal.
Keeping campuses weapon-free will decrease the number of possible incidents, create the safe atmosphere for students to study in and allow them to enjoy themselves without tragic consequences. Educational establishments are traditionally seen as gun-free zones. Traditions should be followed and these territories should be kept as safe as possible to allow students to learn and find themselves in the correct environment. Safety is the best thing that can allow one to concentrate on studying.
Works Sited
1. Rick Jervis. “State lawmakers push to allow guns on college campuses.” USA Today, 9/30/2011. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2011-09-29/campus-guns-states-ban-legislation/50610558/1. 05/01/2012
