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Conceal & Carry on Campus
The topic of gun control has always been a hot button issue and with the passing of house bill 280 the conversation is reignited. House bill 280 is a bill that was created to amend a part of article 4 from the 11th chapter of title 16 from the Official Code of Georgia anointed or OCGA. These bills have a focus on allowing licensed owners to carry a concealed handgun on their person away from their homes and out into public areas. This new bill particularly allows licensed gun owners in Georgia over the age of twenty one to carry their concealed handguns on certain parts of campus. There are many who support this bill like Alan Powel who is a state representative and chairman of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. He has been a strong supporter of gun rights bills. On the opposite end there are people like state representative Karla Drenner who are leery of such bills. She and other democrats feel that guns are being put in the hands of 21 year olds in an environment with a high amount of pressure. To get a clearer picture this article will focus on the opposing arguments about gun related issues involving places of higher education.
After the Virginia Tech shooting in April 2007 Texas was one of the first states to pass legislation that would allow students and faculty to carry a concealed firearm on campus. This decision however was not unanimously accepted as the correct step forward. A teacher by the name of Ellen Spiro like many were apprehensive about this new law coming into effect. In an attempt to repeal the law Spiro would co-found a group called Gun-Free UT. This group’s main argument against allowing firearms on campus was that it would make students less comfortable discussing emotionally charged topics, but also could increase the risk that stressed and despondent students will harm themselves or others. (Mangan). People like Jack Parker, a semi-retired research professor of civil and environmental engineering at the time opposed the idea of having a gun free zone. He went on to state that People intent on harm don’t care if guns are legal or not and creating these gun-free zones would mean that those who illegally carry weapons may kill indiscriminately with little fear that someone will shoot back until police arrive. (Mangan)
Crime on campus is a very serious occurrence and these events are also used by naysayers and supporters of gun rights alike to support their claims. Many incidents like those of the Virginia tech shooting or the shooting that took place at Umpqua community college make news headlines often and also play a key role when it comes to legislative decision making. As the passing of laws that allow concealed firearms on campus grows many supporters often make the argument that the faculty, staff, and students can’t rely on police officers to prevent violent crimes and allowing concealed firearms on campus will be a deterrent for criminals and allow an armed citizen to quickly utilize lethal force whenever necessary (Angelis). The opponents of such laws disagree and feel that crimes of such a serious and tragic nature are rare on campuses and that allowing more firearms on campus may raise the number of these violent tragedies like student suicides, accidental shootings, and student-student or student-faculty homicides (Angelis).
Issues about safety or rather the perception thereof have also been a battleground for the ongoing debate of gun control regarding places of higher learning. In recent times crimes committed on college grounds whether violent or not have been under greater scrutiny by scholars, politicians, and media outlets alike (Patten). Many Professors have stated that they take things like threats or general hostility from disgruntled students and staff much more seriously after bills that allow firearms on campus have been passed.
To further their points statistical data is often implemented. The problem with this type of research is that it can prove unreliable such as the case of John Lott, a leading proponent of the “more guns, less crime” perspective. He has suggested that the passage of right-to-carry laws and increased gun carrying will help prevent violent crime (Angelis). Later research would determine that this work suffers from serious flaws within its methodology and should not be used to make any policy recommendations. For example, Duwe, Kovandzic and Moody In 2002 examined the impact of right-to-carry laws on mass public shootings from years 1977 to 1999 and came to the conclusion that these laws did not encourage or discourage mass shootings. Further, Black and Nagin in 1998 reported that right-to-carry had no measurable impact on year-to-year patterns in violent crime (Angelis).
Although there is no clear solution for preventing gun related crimes each side has formed their own way of tackling this issue. In the past many schools have established gun-free zones, limiting the presence of guns on parts of the campus. Others have established active shooter courses to prepare students for armed attacks as a counter measure. Nse Ufot, A spokeswoman for the American Association of University Professors has stated that a more collaborative approach is necessary (Smith). That approach would have a focus on better mental health services and an adjustment to emergency response plans. (Smith).
After the Virginia Tech shooting in April 2007 Texas was one of the first states to pass legislation that would allow students and faculty to carry a concealed firearm on campus. This decision however was not unanimously accepted as the correct step forward. A teacher by the name of Ellen Spiro like many were apprehensive about this new law coming into effect. In an attempt to repeal the law Spiro would co-found a group called Gun-Free UT. This group’s main argument against allowing firearms on campus was that it would make students less comfortable discussing emotionally charged topics, but also could increase the risk that stressed and despondent students will harm themselves or others. (Mangan). People like Jack Parker, a semi-retired research professor of civil and environmental engineering at the time opposed the idea of having a gun free zone. He went on to state that People intent on harm don’t care if guns are legal or not and creating these gun-free zones would mean that those who illegally carry weapons may kill indiscriminately with little fear that someone will shoot back until police arrive. (Mangan)
Crime on campus is a very serious occurrence and these events are also used by naysayers and supporters of gun rights alike to support their claims. Many incidents like those of the Virginia tech shooting or the shooting that took place at Umpqua community college make news headlines often and also play a key role when it comes to legislative decision making. As the passing of laws that allow concealed firearms on campus grows many supporters often make the argument that the faculty, staff, and students can’t rely on police officers to prevent violent crimes and allowing concealed firearms on campus will be a deterrent for criminals and allow an armed citizen to quickly utilize lethal force whenever necessary (Angelis). The opponents of such laws disagree and feel that crimes of such a serious and tragic nature are rare on campuses and that allowing more firearms on campus may raise the number of these violent tragedies like student suicides, accidental shootings, and student-student or student-faculty homicides (Angelis).
Issues about safety or rather the perception thereof have also been a battleground for the ongoing debate of gun control regarding places of higher learning. In recent times crimes committed on college grounds whether violent or not have been under greater scrutiny by scholars, politicians, and media outlets alike (Patten). Many Professors have stated that they take things like threats or general hostility from disgruntled students and staff much more seriously after bills that allow firearms on campus have been passed.
To further their points statistical data is often implemented. The problem with this type of research is that it can prove unreliable such as the case of John Lott, a leading proponent of the “more guns, less crime” perspective. He has suggested that the passage of right-to-carry laws and increased gun carrying will help prevent violent crime (Angelis). Later research would determine that this work suffers from serious flaws within its methodology and should not be used to make any policy recommendations. For example, Duwe, Kovandzic and Moody In 2002 examined the impact of right-to-carry laws on mass public shootings from years 1977 to 1999 and came to the conclusion that these laws did not encourage or discourage mass shootings. Further, Black and Nagin in 1998 reported that right-to-carry had no measurable impact on year-to-year patterns in violent crime (Angelis).
Although there is no clear solution for preventing gun related crimes each side has formed their own way of tackling this issue. In the past many schools have established gun-free zones, limiting the presence of guns on parts of the campus. Others have established active shooter courses to prepare students for armed attacks as a counter measure. Nse Ufot, A spokeswoman for the American Association of University Professors has stated that a more collaborative approach is necessary (Smith). That approach would have a focus on better mental health services and an adjustment to emergency response plans. (Smith).
Works Cited
(NOTE: The works cited list was reverse indented as required by MLA in the student's original submission.)
Mangan, Katherine. “Under the Gun.” Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 62, no. 41, 22 July 2016, pp.B8-B10. EBSCOHOST, ezproxy.gsu/edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=117061052&site=eds-live. http://www.galileo.usg.edu.
Angelis, Joseph De and Bentz, Teresa A. and Gilham, Patrick. “Collective Security, Fear of Crime, and Support for Concealed Firearms on a University Campus in the Western United States” Criminal Justice Review 2017, Vol. 42(1) 77-94 < http://www.galileo.usg.edu>.
Patten, Ryan and Thomas Matthew O. and Wada, James C. “Packing Heat: Attitudes Regarding Concealed Weapons on College Campuses” Southern Criminal Justice Association, 15 November 2012 < http://www.galileo.usg.edu>.
Smith, Termika N. “To Conceal and Carry or Not to Conceal and Carry on Higher Education Campuses, That is the Question” J Acad Ethics (2012) 10:237-24 http://www.galileo.usg.edu.
Mangan, Katherine. “Under the Gun.” Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 62, no. 41, 22 July 2016, pp.B8-B10. EBSCOHOST, ezproxy.gsu/edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=117061052&site=eds-live. http://www.galileo.usg.edu.
Angelis, Joseph De and Bentz, Teresa A. and Gilham, Patrick. “Collective Security, Fear of Crime, and Support for Concealed Firearms on a University Campus in the Western United States” Criminal Justice Review 2017, Vol. 42(1) 77-94 < http://www.galileo.usg.edu>.
Patten, Ryan and Thomas Matthew O. and Wada, James C. “Packing Heat: Attitudes Regarding Concealed Weapons on College Campuses” Southern Criminal Justice Association, 15 November 2012 < http://www.galileo.usg.edu>.
Smith, Termika N. “To Conceal and Carry or Not to Conceal and Carry on Higher Education Campuses, That is the Question” J Acad Ethics (2012) 10:237-24 http://www.galileo.usg.edu.