Luther

Students should be allowed guns

By: Joe Luther

Posted: 5/7/08

The recent school shootings across the country have brought about many questions about school security. If the students cannot be protected by the university, do they have the right to protect themselves?

This is where the issue of concealed/carry comes into play. A concealed/carry law would allow any Wisconsin resident to carry a concealed firearm with a permit. Currently there is no state law allowing the carrying of concealed weapons.

UW-Whitewater students should not be left to fear for their safety when 48 states allow concealed weapons, and many universities are beginning to allow weapons on campus as well. Students in Wisconsin and at UW-Whitewater should be allowed the right to carry a concealed weapon.

Any proposed conceal and carry law would need to have strict background checks for anyone wishing to apply for a permit. Coupled with a strict training course in the use of firearms, concealed weapons are hardly a problem. Any law-abiding student that wishes to protect themselves would be able to under a concealed/carry law.

One of the most-used arguments of anti-concealed/carry groups are that violence would increase if concealed/carry was passed on campuses. In fact, according to a recent study by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, many states that have passed concealed/carry legislation have actually seen gun violence decrease.

The decrease is gun violence doesn't necessarily mean that people are even firing a shot. Just the suspected presence of someone with a concealed weapon is often enough to deter crime.

Students or anyone else that would wish to use firearms on campus in a criminal manner is going to find a way to get a firearm whether concealed/carry is allowed or not. With a conceal/carry law in place students will be allowed to protect themselves. The campus police cannot protect every student at all times and students should have the right to protect themselves with concealed firearms.

Gun control laws simply don't work. Northern Illinois University, which saw the most recent shooting ending in six deaths, is a gun-free zone. There is simply no way to enforce these laws, and full gun control is impossible. Allowing students to carry a weapon would decrease the likelihood of a crime, and stop the escalation of an incident like the one at Northern Illinois University.

Student groups like the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus are popping up all across the country and are growing in number. Students across the country are seeking a way to protect themselves on campus, and are finding it in student groups like the SCCC. They believe that gun-free zones "serve to disarm only those law-abiding citizens" and are a detriment to student safety.

I'll be the first to admit that I would not carry a weapon if a concealed/carry law is passed in Wisconsin, but I believe in the right to carry one. Students should have the right to protect themselves on campus.

Wisconsin is one of only two states that do not allow any form of concealed/carry, and we probably won't see that law change any time soon. After recent school shootings the state and its citizens should seriously reconsider the ban on concealed weapons.