By Rob Morse
Louisiana- (Ammoland.com)- Some academics and newspaper editors think privately owned firearms don’t belong on campus. That is an interesting point for an intellectual discussion. In fact, the criminals who bring their guns on campus don’t care what academics and editors think. What really matters to us is what the criminals actually do, and so far, the thugs are laughing at our “no guns” signs. This comes as a shock to the ivory tower and the press. Here is another shock: privately owned firearms work as tools of self-defense, and gun owners use them responsibly. I bet the professors and editors don’t believe me. Guns belong on campus and here is why.
Laws don’t stop criminals. We do.
- Mass murder is illegal, but that didn’t stop the muslim murderer on an Ohio campus late last year. A gun stopped him.
- Mass murder wasn’t allowed in an Orlando nightclub. A gun stopped that muslim murderer as well. Too bad the victims were disarmed by Florida laws.
- Rape isn’t allowed on campus. That hasn’t stopped sexual assault on campus, but an armed victim is ten times less likely to be raped than an unarmed victim. (The comparison isn’t entirely fair since armed citizens don’t drink in public, and some rape victims are intoxicated.)
I’ve heard anti-rights activists say that violence doesn’t solve problems. That doesn’t match my experience. The first thing we do when we’re attacked is call for a good man with a gun to come help us.. but you knew that. It turns out that violence, or the threat of violence, is the answer to stop murderers and rapists until the police arrive.
I’ve heard the complaint that students and staff would shoot teachers if we allowed guns on campus. That claim wouldn’t earn a passing grade in an introductory rhetoric course. Look closer at the argument. The claim is that today, the campus is full of students eager to commit murder, but these students are held in check by a few plastic “no guns allowed” signs. That doesn’t make sense in the real world.
Let’s look at reality. Licensed concealed carriers are over 21 years old. They took a class and passed an FBI background check.. several times. These honest gun owners are more law abiding than the average citizen. The comparison isn’t close. Gun owners who carry discreetly are less likely to break the law, and even less likely to break a firearms related regulation, than are the police. They are also less likely to injure an innocent bystander.
These gun owners carry a firearm off campus all day long.. and you never knew they were armed.
The claim is that these honest people will suddenly change their character when they cross an imaginary line and walk on campus. That doesn’t make sense.
We have not given the subject of armed citizens on campus the serious attention it deserves. We have a mental image of an immature, pimply faced, 18 year old who acts irresponsibly when he is away from home for the first time. I want you to replace that image with the picture of a 23 year old military veteran who is going back to school. I want you to see the graduate student in criminal justice who walks to and from the library late at night as she tries to finish her advanced degree while holding down a job. Making them defenseless doesn’t make us safer. It never has.
I study self-defense, and I’m tired of reading the reports of honest gun owners who were disarmed and victimized in a gun free zone. You probably feel the same way. About 10 states already allow campus carry. Campus carry hasn’t been a problem despite the cries of doom and gloom each time it is proposed.
College professors and newspaper editors might be experts in their respective fields, but they are offering an opinion in an area far outside their scope of expertise. We could speculate as to why.
I’ll stick with the evidence.
Honest armed citizens belong on campus ..and everywhere else.
~_~_
Rob Morse: Rob writes about gun rights at Ammoland, at Clash Daily and on his SlowFacts blog. He hosts the Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast and co-hosts the Polite Society Podcast. Rob is an NRA pistol instructor and combat handgun competitor.
Dave, I’m not arguing here, just curious. I think I understand your reasoning for bars and airports, but why don’t you want guns on campus? It seems unlikely to present any significant problems to me, and was perfectly legal even for minors (and actually fairly common depending on the school) until the late 1960s. As an undergraduate I was on the university’s rifle team, and routinely kept 2 rifles and a pistol in my dorm room. It was never even a subject of conversation, let alone a problem. I have no idea if anyone actually carried concealed handguns on campus… Read more »
It seems that all here simply want to agree with one another. I, for one do not want guns on campus, in bars where alcohol is served, or in airports. I do, however, believe in 2nd Amendment rights. No logic I could give will (probably) change your mind and not you give would change mine. At best, we can probably agree that there is a difference of opinion among many Americans regarding this issue. Let the name calling begin!
Some states allow lawfuly pwned/carried firearms on campus, and we do not see problems with those who do carry…. certainly nowhere near as many such problems as we see in the general public. Many states allow carry in places where alcohol is served, though most prohibit the armed individual from drinking whilst armed. Interesting side note: in states that prohibit ALL carry in liquor establishments, there is a HIGH incidence of gun thefts from the cars in the car park outside…. thieves in those states KNOW no one can carry inside, and when they see trucks and some specific types… Read more »
By definition, since they are “Accidents,” events like this unfortunate one, cannot be totally prevented. The best we can hope for is to minimize the probability they will occur through good training. While I agree there is a serious safety problem whenever an intoxicated person engages in gun handling, the issue is hardly limited to young college students. Frankly, I suspect a lot more intoxicated gun handling occurs among off-duty cops, and the issue may still come up at times on group hunting trips, yet the incidence is very low and has been dropping steadily for decades (especially since the… Read more »
I agree that students should be allowed to own & carry guns on campus. I have long been a proponent of 18 as the age of legal adulthood in EVERY area. If an 18 year old can go to Afghanistan and fight for freedom, then he/she absolutely MUST be accorded every right our country can bestow! Having said that, I learned yesterday that just 3 weeks after Kansas State University regents approved Campus Carry a young man has accidentally shot himself in his dorm room (he’s listed as in stable condition). Whether or not he will be charged criminally due… Read more »
most every state, 18 is not yet legal to drink. So there’s that….. HOW can anyone under 21 legally be drinking on sa college campus, whether he has a gun or not? Perhaps the issue is the “hands off ” mindset currently demponstrated bu school administrators about the issue of college drinking, already illegal. Clean THAT set of illegal activity up and perhaps the “risk” of stupid behaviour by 18 – 21 year old students mixing booze and bullets might not be an issue? As always, HOW ABOUT ENFORCING EXISTING LAWS?
I agree with the author’s points, but I don’t think logical arguments will ever work with most anti-gun folks, for this simple reason: Deep down, they already know their arguments are false, and don’t care- because THEY don’t really believe them either. The real problem is that they do not believe the “ordinary person” can be trusted to behave responsibly/well when under stress (ie, when scared, angry, or otherwise “stressed out”). Whether this is because they don’t trust THEMSELVES under those conditions (which has been suggested) or not, is irrelevant. The fact is that they do not want ordinary citizens… Read more »
It really isn’t that hard to understand…you know…the last four words of 2nd amendment…SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED Seems to me that the only laws should be laws that deal with victims and the perpetrators of the acts that make them victims. I’ll be darned if I’ve ever been the victim of someone carrying a gun. First they would need to pull it, point it at me and demand something from me that they have no right to in the first place. For all intents, MOST people are self governed and do not commit, rape, robbery or murder. To believe they… Read more »