It has become harder for students to imagine themselves completely safe on their college campuses because of the recent school shootings across the country. The one-year anniversary of the shooting at Virginia Tech is at hand and images of the Northern Illinois shooting still fresh in our minds, students everywhere are constantly wondering how to feel safer on campus.
ETSU like other campuses has made changes to better ensure student safety. There’s the GoldAlert text messaging system that alerts students on their cell phones and via e-mail if there is an emergency or school closings. GoldAlert was proven effective late January when ETSU closed due to ice and on March 13 in informing students of an unsubstantiated threat to the Academic Advisement Center.
Large decals have been placed on the doors of every building to warn students of six years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $3,000 if a firearm is brought onto school premises. The decal also states that those who have the appropriate concealed handgun license are not excluded from those penalties. Although these are viewed as helpful and useful changes, some on the ETSU campus wonder if more guns could be a solution to the problem.
Jessica Rose Hodge, a senior general studies major, supports the idea of the right to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. “I would not be opposed to it, but I believe there should be extensive background checks, a waiting period, and psychological testing done before handing a gun to anyone,” she said. Hodge also stated that she wouldn’t feel that her safety would be affected as long as those granting permits were following the regulations. “The government is not here to baby us, we have to make our own choices. It’s not their job to make our choices for us.” Agreeing with Hodge was Paul Jonas, a senior who has his concealed handgun permit. “After what happened at Virginia Tech, I no longer feel safe on campus,” he said. “If concealed carry was permitted on campus, I would feel much safer knowing I could protect myself.”
Allowing concealed carry on campus would mean any student, faculty, or staff could carry a handgun, concealed with the appropriate permit, in a backpack and under clothing, but the idea makes Donnie Barnett, a junior music education major, uncomfortable. “Yes, you have the right to bear your arms, no, you do not have the right to take things designed to kill people into places of higher thought and learning which should be a sanctuary for students. It should not be a battlefield, but a campus,” Barnett said. “Police should be there to quickly respond and protect the innocent.”
“I think it is a very dangerous idea,” said Kevin Fox, a senior psychology major. “Accidents happen with weapons all the time, and I believe it would cause more harm than good.” Both Barnett and Fox also stated that they would feel that the safety they currently feel on campus would be jeopardized causing them to feel slightly more paranoid of their fellow classmates.
Gwen Lewis, executive aide for the department of music, expressed her concerns as well. “I used to carry a concealed weapon, but I don’t know that I agree with it being allowed on campus. There are too many immature people and you cannot trust everyone with a gun,” she stated. “Although, if it were allowed, yes, I would probably carry mine on campus with me.”
Of 30 ETSU students asked their views regarding concealed handguns on campus, 24 expressed concerns about their safety based on allowing inexperienced people to carry handguns.
Tennessee currently allows their residents to purchase handguns without a waiting period and doesn’t require the buyer to have a purchasing license, however a background check is required. As for obtaining a concealed carrier’s license in Tennessee, one is required to take an eight-hour course (four hours on a shooting range and four hours in a classroom). An expert marksman would argue that it takes quite a bit longer than 8 hours to feel completely comfortable and knowledgeable with a firearm.
Out of the 30 students interviewed, three were active in ROTC and two of them were opposed to the idea of allowing concealed weapons on campus.
“Although I am a law-abiding Tennessean with a state-issued handgun carry permit, and I carry everywhere but school, the thought of having students carrying weapons (firearms) at school is a school of thought that just won’t ever see the light of day,” said ETSU graduate student Clark Tucker, who has bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminology. Tucker is also active in the ROTC and is pursuing a career as a military police officer. “I hope to God that my personal safety isn’t ever entrusted to my fellow classmates,” he said. “I entrust my safety to my own personal awareness and to those that have decided to make a career out of being police officers. Others should do the same.”
Across the country though, concealed carry on campus is an escalating issue on campuses everywhere. Handguns are banned on campuses in 38 states. Utah is the only state that requires universities to allow students, faculty, and staff, with the appropriate permits, to carry concealed handguns on campus. In 2004 the state ruled that concealed handguns should be allowed on universities because they are allowed in the state and schools are technically state property.
Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., and Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, Va., also allow concealed handguns on campus and have yet to report any gun-related incidents.
Additional information about the issue is available at the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus Web site at http://concealedcampus.org.

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