Guns on campus

The problem is, many states have allowed the students and faculty to carry guns on the campus. Many countries in the world allow their citizens to carry concealed weapons for their protection and many other reasons. According to me, carrying a weapon is required in those areas where security of a citizen is a big issue. But the question is, is it right to carry arms or guns at the college or university campus? This has been the issue for the state which allows carrying weapons. Many of the countries have experienced issues related to the carrying guns in public.

The much controversial case took place at Virginia Tech University in 2007. This case made rest of the states and colleges or universities to think twice about the idea of allowing guns or weapons in the colleges or university campus.

A potential debate is going on whether the students must be allowed to carry guns with them or not? 16 states out of 50 have banned carrying guns in the colleges and schools. States like New Mexico, North Carolina, Louisiana, Illinois, Massachusetts have taken the initiatives to ban carrying a gun in the colleges and schools.

On the other hand, states like Maryland, Vermont, Kentucky, South Dakota, Washington, etc. do not actually agree with the discussion. Psychology says a man in anger becomes very dangerous. Therefore, with concealed weapons, a man can take any wrong step which would not be acceptable for the society, law as well as for the man himself. There are so many fights which can take place in the school and colleges for the minimal reasons. Thus, it is obviously a student can use his or her gun. Moreover, so many cases are observed in which a student harmed another student for personal grudges.

1. A potential solution to this issue is to ban guns on the campus. The advantage of banning the guns on campus will be a step forward to make the country more peaceful. Moreover, no student will give life threats to another student. This will bring peace in the campus environment.
2. Another solution which I believe could help to improve condition arise due to the problem is partially providing the permission to the carry guns on the college campus. With this solution, only those people who have some exceptional reasons for security could carry the weapon.
3. According to me, the final solution could be allowing the guns on the campus, but there must be strict laws which condition non-usage of those guns in the school and college area.

I feel guns, or any dangerous weapon must be prohibited in the school as well as on the college campus. Even the teachers must be prohibited for the same because teachers came to teach the students and students came to gain knowledge in the school or college. I don’t feel any requirement of a dangerous weapon in delivering and gain knowledge process.

Background

Carrying weapons is considered as a legal process in many countries and states. The law and legislation related to carrying of guns is a significant area of the legal system. The potential reason which government has taken into consideration to allow the citizen to carry guns is:

1) Some countries feel that the citizens should have the right to own a firearm for personal protection, from the outside attack.

2) The law suggests that people who are above the age of 21 and are rightful citizens of United States can carry the weapons at the public place, but they are not allowed to reveal their guns in public place until or unless a situation won’t forces them to do so. The people are recommended to keep their guns and arms hidden in public.

Nearly 50 countries allow their citizens to carry guns for their protection. Most of them allow carrying those guns on the campus too. Countries like, Thailand, Finland, North Carolina, New Mexico, South Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, etc. provides the permission to its citizens to carry guns with them. There are even established laws for carrying firearms, but still, the incidents of brutality are recorded.

A few years back, in 2007, at Virginia Tech University, a deadly fire shooting incident was experienced which killed 32 people on the campus. Therefore, Virginia Tech University took the initiative to ban the guns or other deadly weapons on the campus. After observing these serious issues, some countries also decided to ban the taking of guns on the campus. The countries who were in favor of this step were: New Mexico, North Carolina, Louisiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, etc. and there were a total of 16 countries in this list. While the countries who were not in favor of ban were Maryland, Vermont, Kentucky, South Dakota, Washington, etc. These countries still believe that carrying guns in the university and college campus is the right thing.

Problem

The major problem which is related to carrying of Gun on Campus is the safety of the innocent students as well as the campus faculty. A human being in anger with a gun can take an unethical or illegal step which will not be acceptable to the society and the government. There are many chances of minimal quarrels which can take place on the campus and students and faculty carrying the guns in the situation of anger can be harmful from the perspective of security.

My concern is related to the security of the campus which allows guns and weapons on the campus. Keeping guns in the school or college campus may increase the crime rates in the country. These guns can definitely protect the countrymen from the outside attack but cannot help students to teach the lessons of moral values and peace. Unnecessary firing, deaths, and crime will lead the country towards the worst situation.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” is an old saying which suggests that revenge will destroy the whole world. For example, if a person harms another person then definitely a concerned individual will take his revenge, this makes the whole situation worst. This will bring the unstable and destructive situation in the country. The government of these countries must find a relevant solution to get rid of concerned problems. Otherwise, the problem would emerge as worse circumstances, and more problematic situations will arise rather than resolving the issues. The most suitable solution is to ban the guns on the campus.

Solution

1. The first solution to this problem is to ban guns on campus (universities and colleges). The government of a country should be robust enough to protect its citizens. According to observations, the students, as well as teachers, bring their weapons to the campus. This a worst situation as a teacher came to deliver his or her knowledge on the campus, and the students came to gain knowledge. According to me, there is no need arises of bringing guns to the campus. The government which allows the people to carry guns must take actions against the students and teachers who bring the guns to the campus.

By declaring a ban on weapons, the environment of campus will become positive. Nobody will threaten anyone on the campus. The students come to acquire knowledge in the college and not to spread terrorism. Moreover, there would be no added cost to the ban.

2. Another solution which I believe should be implemented is the partial providing of the permission to bring guns to the campus. Many countries which allow their students to carry a weapon are facing serious issues related to the security of its students. In that case, the students must be allowed carrying guns or weapons with them on the campus. But a law must be made which states “prohibition of using guns or weapons until or unless a serious situation is not experienced.” Surely this will improve a secure condition which involves less use of dangerous weapon. Security services must be required to implement such idea, and it may cause certain expenses to the university and college authorities.

With this solution, the states where there is a heavy requirement of carrying guns on the campus, only citizens of those states will allow to carry guns on the campus. This will eliminate the tradition of carrying a gun anywhere without a potential reason.

3. The final solution is not to ban the law which allows the citizens to carry guns on the campus. Rather I suggest to modifying that law by inserting additional clause. The law should be modified by adding the statement “keep the weapon hidden on the college campus and nobody is allowed to use that weapon on the campus (teacher and students).” I hope this solution will work positively with no extra cost to the university or government.

This final solution will act positively. The students are not getting prohibited from bringing guns to the campus. Rather they are prohibited from using them on the campus.

My major concern of presenting this solution is, to say no to destructive use of a weapon in the school or college campus. Schools and colleges are the places where knowledge is distributed, and one should not harm the purity of these places by using dangerous weapons without any requirement. According to me, the schools and colleges are built to deliver and to gain knowledge. There is no need to carry guns in the classrooms and other areas of campus. People must be motivated to understand the value of peace and morality.

Recommendation

As we all know around 50 countries in the world allows their students to carry guns for various reasons such as security reasons, personal protection reasons, making control over the country, etc. sometimes the reasons for allowance are valid while sometimes they are not. But I strictly don’t support the concept of taking guns or weapons in the school and college campus. The students do not have much clarity of the conception about why do their country allowing them to carry guns. The students may use the guns for taking revenge or any other personal issue which I feel is not ethical and meaningful. Moreover, teachers also bring guns to the campus, which is truly not acceptable. I don’t know from where the concept emerges of taking guns on the campus. In 2007, Virginia Tech University had experienced massive effects of allowing students to bring guns to the campus. Fortunately, after this incident, so many countries took the initiative to ban guns on the campus.

According to me, carrying guns in public places must also be banned. A government of a country should be responsible enough to protect its citizens from the outside attack. In anger, a person could take so many wrong decisions which lead to the drastic results. If a student in the campus got involved in the small quarrel, then he or she will take out guns and may fire a shot. In this case who will be responsible? The student who shoots? Or the government who allowed the student to carry the guns on the campus?

The government which allows the citizens must think twice about adverse outcomes of carrying guns on the campus. It is the responsibility of the government to work on every aspect of the permission and rights which they allowed to their citizens. Advantages and disadvantages of power must be evaluated first. The government of the country should make decisions which are beneficial for the country rather than promoting criminal activities.

 

References:

NCSL. (2017). Guns on Campus: Overview. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/guns-on-campus-overview/elqtrackid/b65b90ed202f44b28a4b1c1d63c3b797/elq/53208e26a02242f2893de140932be3f2/elqaid/12301/elqat/1/elqcampaignid/4996.aspx#1

Inside higher ED. (2011, January 28). Students, Guns, and Politics. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/28/students_debate_concealed_gun_campus_carry_laws_in_florida_texas_arizona

Fire. (2010, July 1). Concealed Carry on Campus? – FIRE. Retrieved from https://www.thefire.org/media-coverage/concealed-carry-on-campus/

Lisa A. LaPoint, “The Up and Down Battle for Concealed Carry at Public Universities” in Colorado State University Journal of Student Affairs. Volume 19, 2009-2010; Pages 16-21.