Would you want students with guns on your campus?

January 23, 2012 by Jacob Hawley

Posted in: Campus Safety, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Student Life

A proposed bill aims to force public colleges to let students carry firearms. Could it actually pass?

Arizona Senator Ronald Gould plans to reintroduce a gun bill that would ensure students with concealed carry permits could carry guns on public college and university campuses.

This isn’t the first time he’s tried to get the bill passed. He introduced a similar bill last legislative session, which was vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer.

“To disallow guns on campus, what that really does is create a self-defense-free zone. So people with evil intents, they know there’s no weapons there,” Gould told reporters. He believes by allowing students to carry weapons – thus making potential criminals too afraid of getting shot themselves to actually act – crime on campus would decline.

The Arizona Board of Regents, however, sees it differently. Among their arguments against having guns on campus:

Students and faculty should feel free to express strong opinions without fear of reprisal
It would make it difficult for police to investigate any on-campus gun crime if one did occur, and
Young people, drugs, alcohol and firearms is a potentially volatile combination.

But Gould still believes the bill could pass, since it made the changes that concerned the governor by allowing schools to restrict guns in buildings if they provide gun lockers. On that subject, the Board of Regents points out law enforcement concerns that it would actually give access to non-permit owners.

Where do you stand on the issue? Tell us in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

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Tags: Arizona Board of Regents, AZ Senator Ronald Gould, guns on campus, student safety

One Response to “Would you want students with guns on your campus?”

Robert Says:
January 25th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Even though I think the concerns of the Arizona Board of Regents are valid, I think given the current rapid decline of our culture, the same rules should apply on a university campus, as on an off-campus apartment complex, where college students who are legal gun owners may live and if necessary, use their firearm to defend themselves, loved ones, and their possessions. There are little or no unarmed safe havens in American communities anymore. This is due not to accessibility of guns, but with an unprecented lack of morally-based restraint among the population in America. So many opt to access guns (legally or illegally) to inflict great pain and choose this method to solve their problems with fellow human beings, with little or no consideration given to the consequences for their actions.

The overriding communal understanding that should govern all societies that “man(kind) is made in the image of God” and that murderers should be executed for their premeditated violence is not being observed and enforced uniformly in our humanistic, permissive and morally-shallow society.

Having said that, no law or provision will prevent illegal gun owners concealing their firearms, coming to a campus, or mall, or neighborhood, who have bad intentions. That’s why potential or current criminals and law enforcement (who can’t be at every trouble-spot in a community) should not be the only ones carrying a loaded firearm in today’s unpredictable “Wild West” environment. Having this deterrant is required, even though it is frought with dangers and unintended consequences. The evil forces among us just can’t have the upper hand. It’s not only about survival, but valuing and preserving human life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which our Constitution guarantees to all law-abiding citizens.