Nowhere is perfectly safe--give the kids a fighting chance.
May 5, 2010
A little more than three years ago, Seung-Hui Cho entered a building at Virginia Tech, chained the doors shut and began shooting. He killed 32 people--the deadliest school shooting in United States history. The tragedy sparked a nationwide review of campus safety measures. Colleges began coordinating with local police to update old and outdated emergency policies. But the shooting also caused many students, dismayed by the poor emergency response by Virginia Tech administrators and police, to start looking toward ensuring their own safety. A movement was born to roll back long-standing handgun bans at colleges, led by the group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.
The campaign argues that gun-free zones, far from ensuring the safety of students, leaves them defenseless. As David Burnett, the director of public relations for SCCC, said in a phone interview, "We find these pieces of paper tacked to the door that say 'no guns allowed' aren't doing much to deter shooters or even average criminals."
However, despite heavy media coverage and continued debate, advocates of concealed carry have little to show for their efforts. States have considered legislation to allow concealed carry on public campuses 34 times in the years since the Virginia Tech shooting, and more bills are expected this year. Yet so far, none of the legislation has passed in the face of heavy opposition from college administrators and faculty.
An opposing group, the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, was started in 2008. In a phone interview, director Andy Pelosi (no relation to the House speaker) said the campaign has collected the signatures of 133 colleges in 31 states which support handgun bans.
Currently, 26 states ban handguns on campus, even by those with concealed carry permits. Twenty three other states leave the decision to individual colleges. Only Utah explicitly prohibits public colleges from banning licensed handguns on campus.
But concealed carry advocates have fared better in the courts. A Colorado appellate court recently struck down Colorado University's ban on handguns, ruling it conflicted with the state constitution.
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May 5, 2010
A little more than three years ago, Seung-Hui Cho entered a building at Virginia Tech, chained the doors shut and began shooting. He killed 32 people--the deadliest school shooting in United States history. The tragedy sparked a nationwide review of campus safety measures. Colleges began coordinating with local police to update old and outdated emergency policies. But the shooting also caused many students, dismayed by the poor emergency response by Virginia Tech administrators and police, to start looking toward ensuring their own safety. A movement was born to roll back long-standing handgun bans at colleges, led by the group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.
The campaign argues that gun-free zones, far from ensuring the safety of students, leaves them defenseless. As David Burnett, the director of public relations for SCCC, said in a phone interview, "We find these pieces of paper tacked to the door that say 'no guns allowed' aren't doing much to deter shooters or even average criminals."
However, despite heavy media coverage and continued debate, advocates of concealed carry have little to show for their efforts. States have considered legislation to allow concealed carry on public campuses 34 times in the years since the Virginia Tech shooting, and more bills are expected this year. Yet so far, none of the legislation has passed in the face of heavy opposition from college administrators and faculty.
An opposing group, the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, was started in 2008. In a phone interview, director Andy Pelosi (no relation to the House speaker) said the campaign has collected the signatures of 133 colleges in 31 states which support handgun bans.
Currently, 26 states ban handguns on campus, even by those with concealed carry permits. Twenty three other states leave the decision to individual colleges. Only Utah explicitly prohibits public colleges from banning licensed handguns on campus.
But concealed carry advocates have fared better in the courts. A Colorado appellate court recently struck down Colorado University's ban on handguns, ruling it conflicted with the state constitution.
READ MORE
