A peek at the mentality against concealed carry on campus

Every once in a while, a little bit of insight into the concealed carry on campus issue comes to light. This blogger wrote that the "high prevalence of substance abuse and depression among college students, it makes little sense to encourage gun carrying by anyone other than duly-sworn public safety personnel." Further, "how comfortable would instructors be in handing out poor grades to students who may be packing heat." I didn't realize it took so little to turn college students into killers! I guess irrational fears and neuroticism are a good reason to limit the freedoms of others. I guess some people just don't trust college students. Assuming, arguendo, that there is data to support the assertions about substance abuse and depression, why should all college students be branded negatively? In a country that values equal protection and liberty, such assumptions are questionable. Don't people have a right to be judged as individuals rather than stereotyped? The writer also ignores the fact that in most, if not all states, one has to be 21 to get a license and will have to spend time and $ to get the license. Further, anyone with a criminal record cannot get a license. Fear is a potent propaganda weapon. It has been used against various groups in this country for years.

Concealed Carry on College Campuses

Legislation has been introduced in at least nine states, incl. Tex., Fla., Mich. and Ariz. to allow licensed concealed carry on college campuses. Persons who are licensed are no more likely to commit a crime on campus than they are in the community, and the latter are extremely rare. Even then, the crime may have been committed whether the person has the license or not. Rates of both violent and gun crime have been decreasing in spite of the vast increases in the number of guns and introduction of concealed carry licensing laws. Although many administrators and faculty wish it were not the case, both the Second and the First Amendment apply on college campuses. It amazes me how some campuses are so authoritarian. As was often the case when First Amendment rights were denied, the argument of danger to the public is made and is bogus.