This summer, a law in Texas went into effect permitting concealed handguns to be carried on campus. Students at the University of Texas have reacted with extreme dismay, and for good reason. Anyone who has been paying attention to the news over the course of the past couple of years should not be surprised to hear that students at a university aren’t excited about the idea of more guns being brought onto their campus.
For many students, college classrooms are a place for open discussions on topics relating to race, sexuality, politics and religion. As many people know, these types of conversations can bring out the worst in people. However, that does not mean they shouldn’t take place. The idea that a classmate may be carrying a concealed weapon on them at any time may discourage students from voicing their opinion or getting involved in a healthy debate with one of their classmates.
Similarly, the freedom that college brings allows many people to be their authentic selves without the harsh judgment of their peers back in high school. This right to freedom of expression should not be stifled by the fear that someone’s classmate may be concealing a weapon in the back of his or her waistband.
This may sound dramatic, but look at the events that took place only months ago in Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. Nearly 50 people were killed solely because of their sexuality and the fact that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. One man with a gun turned a place where people could freely express themselves into the location of the largest mass shooting in American history.
The fear that comes with devastating hate crimes such as the Orlando shooting combined with the idea that any student on campus may be carrying a weapon results in an unsafe environment for students to be themselves.
College campuses are also typically saturated with students experimenting with drugs and alcohol, often for the first time. Drunken arguments, the effects of drug use and nasty break-ups can all escalate from bad to worse once a firearm is introduced. Nightlife on campus is already risky enough, but once students begin to bring guns along with them, it becomes a disaster waiting to happen.
Many gun advocates will make the argument that arming students is a positive idea because it may take police too long to arrive to the scene of an emergency. Thankfully, on Hofstra’s campus, and most others across the nation, students are connected to public safety at all times through the blue light security system. At any given moment, public safety is never more than 60 seconds away.
Proponents of guns on campuses will also tell you that a student with a gun is the best defense against an active shooter. However, research simply does not back this up. According to a report released by the FBI in 2013, an “armed individual who was not law enforcement exchanging gunfire with the shooter” stopped a mere 3 percent of active shooters between 2000 and 2013. This debunks the notion that the best defense against active shooters is arming civilians.
The views and opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section are those of the authors of the articles. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.