Concealed weapons provide safety in emergency situations
April 13, 2010
Over the years, guns have carried negative connotations for criminal violence. We all hear about these incidents on the news, but we rarely think about a gun being used for good.
In the April 7 column by J. Seth Lee “College campuses not place for guns,” Lee talked about his ties with the Virginia Tech shooting that occurred three years ago.
However, he fails to mention how the situation might have been different if it was legal to carry a concealed weapon on campus.
Virginia Tech is a weapons-free campus ,and was before the shootings occurred. The murderer responsible for the shootings obtained a gun, came to campus, and killed innocent students, regardless of the weapons policy.
The only thing that could stop him, and did stop him, was a gun. If law-abiding students and professors were allowed to carry a concealed weapon on campus, the shooter would have gotten only a couple shots off before he was stopped.
Instead of that scenario we have an auditorium full of helpless students fearing for their lives.
Restricting concealed weapons on campus affects responsible gun owners, while doing nothing to stop a killer from bringing a gun.
As much as college campuses operate in their fantasy lands, they cannot stop criminals from bringing the weapons on campus.
I am supporting the peaceful protest in support of the legalization of concealed weapons on college campuses.
I agree with Lee in saying “We’d likely all agree some places exist where people should feel safe and be safe: our own homes, our places of worship and our schools.”
I argue that the Constitutional right to bear arms is the way to ensure safety for the students on campus.
I don’t understand his argument that concealed weapons on campus only create the illusion of safety.
I know that if I was carrying a fire arm on campus and one of my class mates starting shooting students in my class, I would be able to do something about it, rather than sit under a desk praying for help to come (i.e. someone with a gun).
Will May
computer engineering junior
