Students debate whether allowing concealed weapons would make campus safer

[16 Comment(s)]

By Jonathan Specht

Pearl High, Columbine High, Red Lake High: When today’s college students were in middle school and high school, these and other names came to signify tragic shootings at high schools. After seeming to decline for a few years in the 2000s, the school massacre came back into the news with a vengeance in 2007, this time at a major university, Virginia Tech.

Since the start of the young new year, two colleges, Northern Illinois University and Baton Rouge’s own Louisiana Technical College, have experienced shootings that were similar, albeit on a smaller scale.

In light of these recent shootings, many at LSU are asking how Louisiana State University can be kept off the sad roster of names that have come to signify tragedy in the national psyche, or, if such a shooting occurs, how its number of casualties can be kept as low as possible.

One group, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, proposes that the answer is that those who have been licensed should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus. JP Gwaltney, head of LSU’s chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, outlined the position of the group.

“Students for Concealed Carry on Campus feels that law-abiding citizens who have gone through the rigorous qualifications to obtain a Concealed Carry Permit, and carry most other places they go every day, should be able to carry on college campuses.”

Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:95.2, no firearm may be carried by a student or non-student in a firearm free zone, which is defined as the area within 1,000 feet of school property, including that of college campuses, or on a school bus.

The state law does not apply to weapons carried in accordance with a legally issued concealed handgun permit. The individual policy of Louisiana State University, however, is that “The use or possession of firearms or other weapons by students, employees or visitors while on campus is prohibited,” including by those with a concealed handgun permit.

Regulations regarding the legality of concealed weapons on college campuses vary across the United States. In the state of Utah, a state law requires that universities allow the carrying of permitted concealed weapons. A bill that would allow students to carry concealed weapons on campus was recently debated in the South Dakota state legislature, and a similar provision is currently being debated by the state legislature of Oklahoma.

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which claims at least 18,000 members nationwide, will be holding a national protest on the week of April 21-25, the anniversary of the shooting at Virginia Tech, in which supporters will wear empty holsters to class to signify their inability to legally carry their concealed weapons on campus.

Students interviewed for this article had mixed feelings about the idea of allowing concealed weapons on campus, with some supportive and some opposed to the idea.

“I feel like concealed weapons should not be allowed on campus,” said political science sophomore Quentin Manuel, who said he has taken a course in marksmanship.

“The last thing I want is for a terrible situation to come up and to have some testosterone-fueled would-be hero trying to make snap judgments identifying a threat and taking a positive course of action with little or no training under his belt," said Manuel.

“East Baton Rouge Parish made us wear uniforms so that we could concentrate in class. Imagine trying to concentrate in class when the guy next to you has a Glock under his jacket,” said political science senior David Buco. “What are we, the Wild West? Has the NRA overrun our schools?”

“I don't think carrying a Glock or nine millimeter around campus would be very conducive to higher-level learning,” said business administration senior Kris Khalil. “I understand that with the recent crime on LSU's campus, some people would feel better holding onto their own handgun, but for me, I feel better in a gun-free zone than a gun-OK zone.”

“I believe that in the wake of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, universities nationwide should ban all weapons on their campuses, as well as attempt to do a better job in screening for weapons, at least at large events such as football and basketball games,” continued Khalil.

But some students disagree that such bans are effective. In the words of finance junior Will Hardee, “If someone is insane enough to want to go on a rampage with a gun, then I think it's safe to assume that breaking the gun policy is not going to stop them.”

“It's illegal to shoot and kill someone, too. They obviously aren't going to be deterred by another law that says it's illegal to carry a gun on campus,” continued Hardee.

“I personally never have felt, or will feel the need to carry a gun to class, but I feel safer knowing that trained, licensed and mentally stable persons are able to defend themselves and their classmates in the case of an attack,” concluded Hardee.

William Dulaney, chemical engineering junior, pointed out that it is not easy to obtain a concealed weapons permit in the first place. In Louisiana, to obtain such a permit, one must have a clean criminal record, have no history of mental illness or violence, must not be a user of illegal drugs, and must complete a firearms training course.

“Concealed Handgun Permit holders are law-abiding citizens that have displayed good judgment over the course of their lives,” said Dulaney. “Citizens with a CHP carry in almost every other location, and a college campus should be no different.”

“Concealed Carry Permit holders are not vigilantes. We do not want to chase down bad guys; we are only interested in protecting our own lives,” said JP Gwaltney, head of LSU’s chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.

“We do not undermine the service law enforcement provides. It is clear, however, that in all the past year's school shootings, no matter how fast the police reacted, the attacks were over before law enforcement could arrive,” concluded Gwaltney.

Representatives of Louisiana State University did not return requests for comment on the issue of changing its firearms policy.

Whatever one’s views on the issue, and whatever course of action the University takes or does not take on the issue, we can all hope that LSU never has to find out what would happen when a college shooting happens on a campus that allows concealed handguns.

Send your comments to editor@tigerweekly.com

Originally Published: Issue 599 - March 5, 2008

Share on Facebook

Back to the top