Carrying concealed weapons on campus grounds is beneficial in some instances. The demands to have students carry weapons started following a spate of violence on campus grounds that led to the deaths of many students. For instance, an attack on Virginia Tech in 2007 led to the death of 32 people. A study by Thompson, Price, Dake & Teeple (2012) found that students and faculty felt safer when people could carry weapons, which would allow them to protect themselves in the case of an attack. The study further found that those who did not support the idea of carrying guns on campus did not own a gun.
Carrying concealed weapons make universities and campuses safer although, ironically, Patten, Thomas & Wada (2012) found that faculties saw guns in schools as a threat. If students and members of the faculty can carry their weapons, they can easily confront an attacker and prevent a carnage that would normally lead to the deaths of many people. People who wish to commit crimes, such as murder, robbery, or mass murder, will find a way of getting weapons even if the government banned possession of weapons (Gaines & Miller, 2017). However, by allowing law-abiding citizens to carry weapons, they can protect themselves against an attack irresponsible people with a hidden agenda (Kleck, 2009).
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Gun ownership issue is controversial and continues to generate heated debate. The emotional debate is responsible for the failure to make progress on the important issue. However, regionally or in some states in which people share similar circumstances or political beliefs, it is easier to arrive at some of consensus (Patten, Thomas & Wada, 2012). Therefore, having a single law to cover the whole nation is not politically feasible but regionally, it is possible and that is what is happening.
The current debate on gun ownership and control shows that the fundamental issue is security. However, as cases of the mass shooting have demonstrated, when the victims lack the means to respond to an attack, they are easy targets of killings. The solution is allowing people to protect themselves at their most vulnerable state because posting police officers at every location is not feasible. People should have the means to protect themselves. However, most studies, such as the one by Dahl, Bonham & Reddington (2016), have found that students and faculties often opposed carrying concealed weapons.
References
Dahl, P. P., Bonham, J. G., & Reddington, F. P. (2016). Community College Faculty: Attitudes Toward Guns on Campus. Community College Journal of Research and Practice , 40 (8), 706–717. doi: 10.1080/10668926.2015.1124813
Gaines, L. K., & Miller, R. L. R. (2017). Criminal justice in action . Australia: Cengage Learning.
Kleck, G. (2009). Mass Shootings in Schools. American Behavioral Scientist , 52 (10), 1447–1464. doi: 10.1177/0002764209332557
Patten, R., Thomas, M. O., & Wada, J. C. (2012). Packing Heat: Attitudes Regarding Concealed Weapons on College Campuses. American Journal of Criminal Justice , 38 (4), 551–569. doi: 10.1007/s12103-012-9191-1
Thompson, A., Price, J. H., Dake, J., & Teeple, K. (2012). Faculty Perceptions and Practices Regarding Carrying Concealed Handguns on University Campuses. Journal of Community Health , 38 (2), 366–373. doi: 10.1007/s10900-012-9626-0
