Guns Belong on Campus ..
and everywhere else
By Rob Morse. January 23rd, 2017
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Some academics and newspaper editors think privately owned firearms don’t belong on campus. That is an interesting point for an intellectual discussion. In fact, the criminals who bring their guns on campus don’t care what academics and editors think. What really matters to us is what the criminals actually do, and so far, the thugs are laughing at our “no guns” signs. This comes as a shock to the ivory tower and the press. Here is another shock: privately owned firearms work as tools of self-defense, and gun owners use them responsibly. I bet the professors and editors don’t believe me. Guns belong on campus and here is why.
Laws don’t stop criminals. We do.
- Mass murder is illegal, but that didn’t stop the muslim murderer on an Ohio campus late last year. A gun stopped him.
- Mass murder wasn’t allowed in an Orlando nightclub. A gun stopped that muslim murderer as well. Too bad the victims were disarmed by Florida laws.
- Rape isn’t allowed on campus. That hasn’t stopped sexual assault on campus, but an armed victim is ten times less likely to be raped than an unarmed victim. (The comparison isn’t entirely fair since armed citizens don’t drink in public, and some rape victims are intoxicated.)
I’ve heard anti-rights activists say that violence doesn’t solve problems. That doesn’t match my experience. The first thing we do when we’re attacked is call for a good man with a gun to come help us.. but you knew that. It turns out that violence, or the threat of violence, is the answer to stop murderers and rapists until the police arrive.
I’ve heard the complaint that students and staff would shoot teachers if we allowed guns on campus. That claim wouldn’t earn a passing grade in an introductory rhetoric course. Look closer at the argument. The claim is that today, the campus is full of students eager to commit murder, but these students are held in check by a few plastic “no guns allowed” signs. That doesn’t make sense in the real world.
Let’s look at reality. Licensed concealed carriers are over 21 years old. They took a class and passed an FBI background check.. several times. These honest gun owners are more law abiding than the average citizen. The comparison isn’t close. Gun owners who carry discreetly are less likely to break the law, and even less likely to break a firearms related regulation, than are the police. They are also less likely to injure an innocent bystander.
These gun owners carry a firearm off campus all day long.. and you never knew they were armed. The claim is that these honest people will suddenly change their character when they cross an imaginary line and walk on campus. That doesn’t make sense.
We have not given the subject of armed citizens on campus the serious attention it deserves. We have a mental image of an immature, pimply faced, 18 year old who acts irresponsibly when he is away from home for the first time. I want you to replace that image with the picture of a 23 year old military veteran who is going back to school. I want you to see the graduate student in criminal justice who walks to and from the library late at night as she tries to finish her advanced degree while holding down a job. Making them defenseless doesn’t make us safer. It never has.
I study self-defense, and I’m tired of reading the reports of honest gun owners who were disarmed and victimized in a gun free zone. You probably feel the same way. About 10 states already allow campus carry. Campus carry hasn’t been a problem despite the cries of doom and gloom each time it is proposed.
College professors and newspaper editors might be experts in their respective fields, but they are offering an opinion in an area far outside their scope of expertise. We could speculate as to why.
I’ll stick with the evidence. Honest armed citizens belong on campus ..and everywhere else.