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Allowing College Students, Professors, and Other College Employees to Carry

Concealed Weapons on Campus

In recent times, there has been heated debate on allowing college students, professors and

other college employees to carry concealed weapons such as guns on campus. The rationale

behind this is the rising cases of college shootings. However, concealed weapons should not be

allowed on campus as this would increase the risk for violent confrontations and make unharmed

people to feel unsafe.

Allowing students and the faculty to carry arms on campus can help guarantee a safer

community. Most of the past mass shootings cases in colleges across the country have been

deadly and horrific. Allowing students, tutors, and other college staff to carry concealed weapons

could avert such instances alongside other violent crimes aggravated assault and rape in the

campus environment. Documented cases of violence reveal that shooters often attack

environments that are gun-free where victims are extremely vulnerable (Cunningham 19). At the

same time, most violent criminals always have weapons. It is, therefore, unfair and unwarranted

to leave students, teachers, and other staff in college campuses on the hands of violent gun-

wielding criminals without giving them the power to protect themselves. On this basis, college

students, tutors, and the subordinate staff should be allowed to carry concealed weapons pursuant

to their right to arm and defend themselves when their safety is under threat.

On the contrary, allowing concealed guns on college campuses has several risks attached
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to it. For instance, there is the heightened danger of increased chances of violent confrontations

among faculty members, college students, and the non-teaching staff, which could escalate into

deadly feuds. A situation where more people are allowed to carry concealed guns increases the

likelihood of conflicting parties engaging in public shootouts even when the issues at hand are

trivial. Cunningham observes that facilitating the availability of more weapons on campus could

turn small disputes, hostile acts, self-harm, and rash behavior more deadly, thus making the

entire college environment less safe (20). Besides, college campuses often have individuals with

psychological problems due to their state of mental health. Apart from increased chances of

violence from small confrontations, people with mental conditions such as depression and stress

pose a threat to peace if allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.

Also, allowing concealed handguns on campus is more likely to make unarmed faculty,

students, and other staff feel less safe in surroundings that are supposed to ensure their safety for

(Mcmahon-Howard 141). In contrast to the rare incidences of unanticipated attacks on colleges,

increasing the number of guns in campus may promote fear and a constant feeling of

vulnerability on unarmed parties since the possibility of violent shootings happening anytime is

high. Humans often feel unsafe in environments where weapons abound in plenty (144). Besides,

people with bad intentions could acquire guns and pose a danger to the campus community.

Moreover, people who are licensed to carry concealed weapons can also commit disastrous gun-

related offenses. Therefore, allowing college students, professors and other supporting staff to

carry concealed weapons on campus is a bad idea since it only helps to create a tense

environment and provide an opportunity for people with ill-motives to perpetrate their heinous

activities.

In conclusion, the concerned authorities should not allow college students, faculty and
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other staff members to carry concealed weapons on campus because this would not help to make

the school environment safer. Educational facilities are not a battlefield; thus, guns are not

supposed to be found there. It is only trained police officers who are tasked with preventing

crime and apprehending criminals. Furthermore, when many people carry concealed weapons to

college, security officers would find it difficult to distinguish good people and assailants when

responding to an incidence of violent shootout.

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Works Cited

Cunningham, Anne C. Guns: Conceal and Carry. 1st ed., Greenhaven Publishing, 2018.

Mcmahon-Howard, Jennifer, et al. “Concealed Guns on College Campuses: Examining Support

for Campus Carry Among Faculty, Staff, and Students.” Journal of School Violence, vol.

19, no. 2, 2018, pp. 138–153., doi:10.1080/15388220.2018.1553717.