Should college students be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus? That is a question being raised in various states across the country.
Citing enhanced safety for students due to continued acts of violence like Virginia Tech and Illinois, legislators are looking to empower students to defend themselves.
However, anti-gun advocates, under the guise of psychiatry posit that guns can do bad, college kids do bad things, and thus college kids should not have guns because they could do bad things with them. (story here)
The authors for the Huffington Post argue that allowing guns into an environment where there is too much alcohol, depression and other angst is bad and should not be allowed.
Using their argument, I’m surprised they haven’t introduced legislation to outlaw cars for college kids because drunk driving by college kids involves over 500,000 students each year.
If college student safety were the issue, they’d focus more on the actual issues killing or injuring college students, rather then a veiled attempt to dis-empower these students.
As a parent, it’s tempting from an emotional position, to want to outlaw or prevent my child from the dangers of the world. However, I also recognize, my “child” when in college, is an adult and free to lead their life and make decisions for themselves. I guess, that’s what gets me about these arguments. It’s like people that want to be parents to the rest of society, and frankly, I’m insulted. Mind your business and leave me to mind my own.
Guns are not bad. Guns, like cars and alcohol can do good and they can cause harm or death. Guns can also protect you if assaulted. A car can rapidly transport you to a friends or a hospital. Alcohol can be used to celebrate a joyous occasion and even cleanse a wound.
All these things, guns on campus included, can be used for good or bad. The argument that college kids abuse alcohol thus guns should not be allowed is a stretch. What else should be outlawed because it might hurt us? And what about a 20 year old , not in college, who abuses alcohol? Should guns be banned too?
No, the issue is not “guns on campus,” the issue is “guns.” Research continues to demonstrate areas where concealed weapons are allowed experience a lower crime rate – and thus less victims. (one example here)
And what the authors, and their like, are really interested in is more victims. Because ultimately, this agenda is about control, not empowerment. It’s about a small group deciding what’s best for the masses.
These “college kids” are old enough to vote, go to war and perhaps die for their country, but the authors wants to disarm them in their own backyard. That’s not empowerment, that’s politics.
Keep it simple, there is a 2nd amendment to the Constitution that addresses this. Period, these “well intentioned” efforts at legislation are merely disguised attempts to go around this constitutional right, by people who can’t stand it.
Let guns on campus, and like everything else, people will learn, grow and adapt to more responsibility. Arguing that college kids can’t handle it is another step to disempower and disarm campuses, and eventually society. We (the masses to include college kids) are better then that, and capable of a lot more then the anti-gun crowd give us credit for.
