By: Adam Miller

Adam Miller — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:04:47 +0000

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.

Comments on: HERALD EDITORIAL: Concealed Firearms Have No Place On Campus

By: Adam Miller