The Campus Carry Debate - Gun Control Essay Sample

The 50th anniversary of the world's worst campus shooting that happened in Texas University made most states of America to conclude on allowing gun ownership to be a way of enhancing personal security in campuses. Since the 84th Texas legislation that allowed students to own concealed guns, there have been various discussions against and supporting the bill. The safety of each citizen is necessitated irrespective of the grounds that an individual is at all moments. For that matter, the ownership of guns portrays justification for practice in all campuses. The security of each citizen should be assured at all places of residence thus proving the need to allow students to own guns in universities. The objective of this paper is to make insight into the regulations governing concealed gun laws for campus students, the rules governing the ownership and use of guns, effectiveness, and ineffectiveness of allowing students to use concealed firearms on campus.

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Additionally, the fatal and inhuman incident that happened in Texas 51 years ago proves that students need to carry guns as self-protection from any unscrupulous individuals who might claim the lives of innocent students in campuses. Morse et al. (n. p.) offer light on the issue of the safety of an individual which starts a set of government laws for enforcement agencies.

Reasons for Allowing Students to Carry Guns on Campus

Before the implementation of the law that legalized the ownership of handguns on campuses, there was a series of genocide and other criminal activities. An example is the massacre of 47 students at the University of Texas fifty years ago. Enhancement of security on campus made it possible for the Texan government to come up with a policy of allowing students to carry guns on campus. For that matter, the law speculated the possible ways of limiting the challenges concerning careless shooting in universities and discovered that all eligible citizens should be given a chance to own a gun for security purposes. The lack of self-defense was solved by the call for campus students to own a firearm after security checks that determine eligibility. Self-defense was, therefore, a matter to be enhanced. To safeguard students from careless use of guns, Texas laws stipulated guidelines that regulate the use of firearms on campus.

Eligibility for Gun Ownership in Campus

It has been found out that acquisition of a gun requires an individual to conform to a set of guidelines that ensure that the security of each is enhanced. For that matter, an individual can be disqualified regarding the record of crimes that the individual has ever been connected to (Morse et al. n. p.). The eligibility that was set forth for one to own a gun on campus was related to training that is not less than six hours. The individuals are passed through a set of practical usage of guns amid ways of conflict resolution. The incidents of using firearms are also part of the learning session as a way of enhancing the security of innocent people while on campus. Arrigo and Acheson (121) list some of the disqualifications that can render an individual to be denied a chance to protect themselves by owning a gun. Ownership of firearms on campuses is secured process since individuals who have ever been listed with felony crimes do not qualify to be given a chance. Felony crimes of class A and B disqualify an individual from being eligible to own a gun. Individuals with class A and B felony crimes are excluded permanently from holding guns in campuses. Arrigo and Acheson (123) outline that misdemeanor crimes result into five-year disqualification amid challenges of psychological problems, pending criminal charges and individuals who are dependent on alcohol and other chemical drugs. Gun ownership by campus students is restricted through analysis of criminal records that the individuals have ever been associated with. For that matter, the government ensures that individuals who are eligible for gun ownership are free from any criminal record that might render them to be prohibited from securing their safety. Most states have legalized gum ownership thus it is required that individuals in Texas should be mindful of the vulnerable groups in campuses.

Anticipated Challenges of Campus Carry

Schildkraut et al. (108) outline that moral panic in a school shooting and the overall feat of crimes can deter proper learning among students and instructors. President Obama's speech concerning guns on campuses resulted in rhetoric questions concerning the efficacy of allowing students to own guns. In his remarks by Schildkraut et al. (96), Obama said that "a gun for every man, woman and schooling individuals, what is the guarantee for security and safer grounds in schools and society?" Therefore, it is clear that gun ownership is essential, but there is the need for stricter rules that should govern the behavior of the individuals with guns on campuses. The nation can be prevented from being an arena of crime by laying down strict rules. Strict rules will enable operations in colleges to be free from fear of crime eruption that can end up resulting in mass killings. Self-defense mechanism should be accompanied with some extensive practices towards governing people regarding gun use.

According to Shepperd et al. (24) guns on campus will alter the relationships between students and professor's in the university. The author outlines that firearms will offer dynamic reactions between students and professors amid responses among students thus affecting the whole process of learning in campuses (Shepperd et al. 26). More gun rules and regulations should be devised amid coming up with a platform for carrying students through a continuous education concerning gun use and crime prevention. Strict gun rules should protect the goals of schooling since some students can end up using guns for wrong decisions and end up hurting their fellow students for petty reasons.

Lott's (n. p.) research outlines that campus carry is a viable approach towards the reduction of crime. However, the study summarized that gun control should be boosted to act as an arena for securing the position of morality, value of education and religion (Lott n. p.). Psychological problems should be speculated to avoid any possible reason for the students to misuse firearms. Since most students will end up testing the functionality of their guns on their fellow students and especially the ones whom they have ever crossed, the act of violence will be a challenge to at hand thus mental psychologists, and ethical use of firearms will be a course to be offered in campuses. Liability of careless use of guns should be made to harsher as a framework for ensuring that campus grounds are safe for each population. Since drinking and drug abuse will be a contributor to more crimes on campuses, there should be proper strategies that will limit students from using their weapons against innocent lives while intoxicated.

Challenges Evident with Campus Carry Initiative

Most students will end up becoming victims of an accidental shooting. Accidental shooting will be prevented by enhancing education about gun use. On the other hand, there should be severe consequences concerning carelessness that might result in unintentional shootings. Incidents of disagreements should be prevented from leading to the misuse of concealed guns by adopting relationship advice. Another challenge is that most students will lack the experience of having firearms thus more gun ownership rules need to be put up to enhance the responsible use of firearms. Dahl (706) outlines that strict gun rules will reduce all senseless use of weapons and with time, campus life will be affiliated to the campus carry trend.

In summation, the campus carries laws have outlined that much insight into the use and moral association of students in schools should be aligned with stricter rules. The eligibility for gun ownership should also be made to be strict to reduce more crimes to be committed in campuses by individuals who are not eligible for the property. Campus carry laws cannot be revoked, but it should be accompanied by strict rules that should constrict the interaction of students on campus. Since incidents of anxiety may carry the owners of firearms, worse situations are expected before the law becomes fully active with time. Rules and regulations should always be made to ensure that the campus carry law is useful in all campuses for safer associations in universities. Licensing of firearms should be made to go through a set of requirements of eligibility to reduce unprecedented challenges of the careless use of the guns in solving problems.

Works Cited

Arrigo, Bruce A., and Austin Acheson. "Concealed carry bans and the American college campus: a law, social sciences, and policy perspective." Contemporary justice review 19.1 (2016): 120-141.

Dahl, Patricia P., Gene Bonham, Jr, and Frances P. Reddington. "Community college faculty: Attitudes toward guns on campus." Community College Journal of Research and Practice 40.8 (2016): 706-717.

Lewis, Shaundra K., and Daniel Alejandro de Luna. "The fatal flaws in Texas's campus carry law." T. Marshall L. Rev. 41 (2016): 135-271.

Morse, Andrew, et al. "Guns on campus: The architecture and momentum of state policy action." Retrieved from NASPA website: https://www. naspa. org/rpi/reports/guns-on-campus-the-architecture-andmomentum-of-state-policy-action (2016).

Schildkraut, Jaclyn, H. Jaymi Elsass, and Mark C. Stafford. "Could it happen here? Moral panic, school shootings, and fear of crime among college students." Crime, Law and Social Change 63.1-2 (2015): 91-110.

Lott, John R. More guns, less crime: Understanding crime and gun control laws. University of Chicago Press, 2013.

Shepperd, JA, Losee, JE, Pogge, GC, Lipsey, NP, Redford, L, & Crandall, M 2018, 'The anticipated consequences of legalizing guns on college campuses', Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 21-34. Available from: 10.1037/tam0000097. [10 August 2018].