We come to class hoping to learn, graduate, and get a job. Although not as easy as it sounds, that process would be even more stressful if the guy sitting two seats over in English 1050 is packing heat.
But this June, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees passed a resolution to allow licensed concealed weapons to be carried on campus, although not into university buildings. While it does not immediately impact Western Michigan University, this resolution still represents a step in the wrong direction.
That particular direction is being explored a bit further, thanks to a bill introduced to the Michigan legislature last month by Rep. Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City. The bill, if passed, would essentially strip Michigan’s public universities of the authority to regulate their own campus’ concealed carry (CCW) laws.
The bill has a long way to go yet, but we want to state our unequivocal opposition to any firearms, registered or not, being carried by WMU’s students and faculty on campus
In other parts of the state, it is legal to carry a concealed weapon if the user has taken the proper steps to become a licensed carrier. Schmidt has argued that college campuses should not operate under a different set of rules, and that his bill would clear up any confusion about where concealed weapons are or are not welcome.
Here’s a suggestion that might clear some things up: no guns on campus — period.
Some students may feel safer if they have protection within an arm’s reach, should the situation call for it. That’s fine, but will the several hundred strangers who pass by and see a holster on their hip feel safer too?
Allowing loaded weapons on campus will not make anyone “safer.” We don’t need students carrying out vigilante justice in the event of a threat to campus security. This isn’t the Wild Wild West and you ain’t no John Wayne.
As horrible as it is to think about, imagine what would happen should we experience a Virginia Tech-like situation with dozens of armed students and faculty nearby. Or if some poor student playing a harmless game of Zombies vs. Humans is mistaken by a would-be hero as a security threat.
What exactly is the desired outcome — a shootout between undergrads at Miller Plaza?
The odds of these scenarios playing out are admittedly slim, but there is no reason to take the chance. If by some stroke of idiocy concealed weapons were permitted on WMU’s campus, guns will have been entered into the equation where before they were restricted to a group of people who are already paid to protect us in an ugly situation — the police.
At his public forum last week, President John Dunn was gracious enough to answer an off-topic question about CCW laws on college campuses. When asked about the idea of concealed weapons at WMU, Dunn said bluntly, “I’m opposed to that.”
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable as an individual,” he continued, a sentiment likely to be shared by many unarmed students.
Sure, those carrying firearms might feel more comfortable, knowing they are capable of protecting themselves at a moment’s notice. Looking deeper, the basis of that comfort is the power that lies in holding a gun. Holding that power makes someone superior to those around them, to a degree, but how are others supposed to feel? Afraid.
Guns do not promote peace, or safety, but rather fear. It would not even take a deliberate act for a CCW resolution to go horribly wrong. A loaded gun can misfire, or stray from the possession of its owner. There are too many potential bad outcomes to allow guns into the equation.
It is a good sign that university administrators are not in favor of CCW on campus. We hope that decisions regarding the safety of this university and its students are not taken out of their hands by the politicians in Lansing.
About jmcdonald
There are many statements in this article that I agree with but many with which I do not. This is a serious issue and needs to be handled with care and much thought. In my personal opinion I do not share the belief that handguns, NOT GUNS, should be banned on campus to those who have earned the right by concealed weapons classes, having a squeaky clean history and mental background, and the desire to protect ones self.
When the statement about vigilantes is made, the author makes joke of this being the wild west. This is a statement I would expect from someone who is uneducated in a matter. And I know this is an opinion piece so the author is free to lay out his cause, but the fact is that concealed pistols holders are some of the safest and most law abiding citizens around. They understand their rights and the laws pertaining to them and not one of them is going to jeopardize their right to carry. A handgun is never supposed to be seen unless there is danger to human life of the carrier or of another individual. This does not mean taking the law into ones own hands, its protection of human life from those whose goal is to take it away.
In the case of Virginia Tech the author states that weapons would have made the situation worse. While I agree partially with this statement in the matter of lots of hands in a stressful situation with fingers on the trigger can make for a dangerous position, but what everything boils down to is a untrained criminal versus a trained civilian. In this situation the trained individual has a much greater chance of coming out on top. How fast would the Virginia Tech shooting have been over if 1 out of every 100 people were carrying a handgun on that campus? Do you think the situation would have ended faster or slower? I would expect the loss of life to students would have been greatly decreased by someone making a stand for his or her protection and the protection of others.
In response to the comment about police being able to safely cover the campus, I thank them for their service and their commitment, but most violent situations happen and are over in a matter of seconds. There is no possible way for the police as fast as a trained individual can when they are in the moment.
I personally would feel safer knowing that my class mates were carrying a loaded handgun but I understand that is a sentiment not shared by many other people. I grew up around guns and I have no fear of them because I understand them. The thing that frustrates me is people who will stand for their cause because they are afraid of something like guns but never take the time to go out to a range and learn how to shoot. I can almost guarantee that those people will gain a new respect for guns, Not Weapons, and even though it may not change their mind it will give them an understanding of what they are actually fighting against. A gun in the hands of a trained, liscenced, law abiding, and mentally stable individual is only dangerous to someone who is not.