Contrary to Student Newspaper Editorials, Concealed Carry At A University Campus Does Work

Student editorials in college newspapers against legal carry of firearms in colleges and universities are becoming more frequent as states like Texas consider allowing carry on college campuses. The editorial writers at student newspapers don’t want them. But, they fail to address the success of the firearms carry law in Utah colleges. Its like Utah doesn't exist to them.

The fact is that students there can carry concealed handguns into all of the colleges and universities in the state. There have been no serious problems as a result. Those who can legally carry firearms onto Utah campuses must be concealed carry permit holders who must also undergo strict criminal background checks. Student permit holders are like the rest of those in the country who are licensed to carry. They are among the most law abiding. An open carry bill has even been introduced in Utah.

School shootings are rare; however, they do happen. And, when they do they are horrendous and make spectacular news stories. The frequency of guns on campus and concealed carry licenses have no relationship to past shootings on college campuses.

Do these aspiring newspaper writers really think a “No guns allowed policy” will stop a determined killer? Do they really think that a “gun free” policy will stop a homicidal maniac? They haven't. Do they believe that campus police will arrive on time? They haven’t yet. It takes time to get to a crime scene unless they are already at the building. Do they really think that police will have a harder time to determine who the bad guy really is in a classroom as opposed to all other situations they encounter?

Seung Hui-Cho didn’t have a license to carry a gun when he used his to kill 32 people at “gun free” Virginia Tech. But, he did show disturbing signs symptoms of severe mental illness that many people including college staff at the school noticed, but did not report to authorities. All students could do was to try to hide under their desks as he walked down the rows and murdered them.

At Northern Illinois University, Steven Kazmierczak had no gun carry permit and was off his Xanax and Prozak when he killed 5 people and wounded 21 others. He graduated high school in 1998 and was hospitalized for mental illness at a Psychiatric Center. A gun free policy did not stop him.

The only common thread in these university killings was that they all took place in “gun free” zones like Washington State University, where I read the latest student anti gun editorial in their student newspaper. At Applachian School of Law, a former student came on campus and shot several people, killing some. He was still crazily waving his loaded gun around when two armed students stopped him with their own handguns that they retrieved from their cars.

God forbid that some law abiding person carrying a licensed, concealed handgun might have been in the classrooms at Virginia Tech and N.I.U. too. Someone could have been seriously hurt.
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