Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Guns on Campus?

Bringing guns on campus has been in the news lately. States such as Arizona and Texas have been considering revising their gun laws to allow looser regulations controlling guns on campus. Something like the Virginia Tech Shooting makes people worried, and no one wants to be caught unprotected.

If my campus ever allowed guns on campus for anyone other than police officers I would transfer immediately. In all honesty, guns scare the heck out of me. Most people I know were raised in households with at least one gun, and plenty of my friends like to go hunting. I, however, come from a pretty anti-gun, anti-violence family. This probably has done a lot to shape my feelings about guns.

Police officers have been professionally trained to use guns in dangerous situations. Stopping a violent murder is nothing like going hunting, but people have this idea that just because they know how to use a gun, they will be able to calmly draw a gun and shoot a person. In reality, they might end up hurting an innocent bystander and end up in court.

I've seen situations that seem harmless escalate quickly, and if one party has a weapon, things can get ugly fast. In my hometown, two people had a snow fight that ended with one person stabbing the other. We've all witnessed fights, and those could have ended badly if one person lost control. I will never believe that guns are an acceptable solution.

As always, I want to know what everyone else's opinion is on this topic.
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2 comments:

  1. If you want to go hunting, keep your gun at a friend's house off campus. Keep it away from me. Why in the world should people be walking around campus armed with guns and such?

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  2. Because there are other people who are evil and want to hurt you. By the way, have you ever seen what they do for you to carry a handgun (legally, of course)? It's hard. And there's a psych profile. And lots and lots of training. Nobody who would "shoot because someone shoved me" could get one. Legally. I got one. Legally. I don't carry mine on campus because it's illegal. But guess what - criminals DON'T CARE if it's LEGAL. Why? Because they are CRIMINALS!!!!!!! I guess though, in your *perfect* college nothing can go wrong. In mine, however, there have been several RAPES and a MURDER and many, many theifs at GUNPOINT. Oh, I wonder how to protect MYSELF from the CRIMINALS. You know, the ones who are BAD and could KILL ME. But I guess in your perfect college, you don't have to worry about getting campus police to walk you to the car (when they are available)(when you parked on campus)(even though they are less trained than you are)(even though they aren't there as late as you are)
    Don't worry, folks. The police will protect you.

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