This is my first post so I'm not exactly sure how people normally introduce topics so I'll just jump right in. From the earliest I can remember I have grown up around guns, whether it be hunting in the mornings with my dad or just going to the range with some of my friends. I have never felt uncomfortable around them and actually tend to feel safer if I have one within reach. Having said that, and looking at the recent legislature passed in some states allowing concealed carry on certain college campuses, I wanted to put my opinion out there as well as hear what the rest of the public has to say. As I stated previously, I am very comfortable around guns and am a strong believer that everyone should have one whether it be for personal protection or home defense. Being under 21, I have not been able to get my concealed carry license but have already taken the necessary courses to obtain it once I turn 21. My thought process is that carrying a firearm not only helps to protect you, but helps to protect the people around you by preparing you to respond to a situation where someone is attempting to hurt another individual. Many people will argue that having more guns only increases the chance that someone will negative intentions will obtain one by taking it from another person but this does not make a great deal of sense to me. If someone is carrying a firearm and knows what they are doing then they should be able to have control over the situation and prevent another individual from taking their weapon. An increase in the number of people who can conceal carry and the places they can carry would do nothing more than help to prevent mass shootings. Take the just about any school shooting for example. If a policy had been in place allowing for students or faculty to carry a firearm, there is no way a shooter would be able to get farther than a few steps in the front door. Of course this is not to say that everyone should be required to carry wherever they go, but those that wish to carry should be allowed to. Another question that should be asked is what would gun control even mean at this point? There are over 310 Million guns owned by the citizens of the United States, that's almost one for every person including infants. Obviously banning assault rifles is something that has already taken place but there are still an estimated three million assault rifles still out there. In a perfect world, gun control would mean going door to door and taking all firearms. This practically impossible as most owners would either fight back or hide their guns and claim they have none. Perhaps the thing that bothers me most is the fact that regardless of what laws are in place, it does not make a difference to criminals. Whether it is legal to carry a weapon on a school campus or not, if someone wants to go and shoot up a school they will. A reason schools are chosen is because shooters like to have "soft" targets, that is people who they know will not fight back and do not have the ability to defend themselves. In conclusion, allowing students and faculty to carry on campus would not only decrease the number of school shootings but help to prevent the shooter from getting very far if anyone ever did decide to try it. Because lets be honest, knowing you're going to have to walk into a room full of adults who could possibly be carrying a firearm would definitely scare more than a few people away. Any feedback or thoughts y'all have I would love to hear. Thank you.
Welcome to the forum. As a member of the choir, I agree. Most mass shootings occur in "gun free" zones. Schools are the biggest target. Public schools are being secured by locked doors and increased police presence, but that isn't possible at colleges. Concealed carry laws keep most college students unarmed with an age 21 cutoff, but more and more older people are returning to college and we should be taking advantage of this situation. An older student with a clean police record, state and federal background checks, and proved proficiency with a firearm should be welcome on a college campus. You could also allow the faculty to carry as well. With CHL campus carry, you just took the target off of the back of the college in the eyes of many terrorists or plain Jane nut jobs. You slightly increase the risk of accidental (or negligent) discharge incidents, but CHL holders in general are committing far less crimes than the average citizen.
