Campuses grow more vulnerable every day as the nation continues on its downward spiral. Since 2010, the country has witnessed over a hundred shootings committed on school campuses. Shootings on school grounds, whether it is an elementary or post graduate school is far from a new concept. During the 1990s’ Congress implemented multiple Gun Free School Zone Acts for federally funded schools to help create safer school zones by preventing any gun related violence.
The problem being that the gun free school zones act only designates distances that keep law abiding citizens defenseless, while any potential criminal has a safe haven to commit their crime with no fear of initial response. Every certified law abiding citizen should be permitted to conceal carry on school campuses helping deter violence, promote safety; it is the right of every American. Mass shooting and active shooter cases could have been prevented if a first responder would have been located in the right location at the right time.
This is an unreasonable request, there are not enough first responders to sit in each classroom across this nation. Schools are thought to be a safe harbor where people can attend in peace and focus on learning. This thought has been proven to be wrong over and over again. Stephens, (2016) states “There are bad apples in every crowd, but many crimes committed with guns are committed by people who have stolen or borrowed a weapon, not by those who have carry permits” (para 19).
Crimes happen on campus on a daily basis such examples are robberies, fights, sexual assault and murder. All schools have a form of security: Police, security guards, even faculty members. Re-vamping schools to be better prepared for active shooter/mass shooting is financially unconceivable. Faculty members are not trained as first responders; their primary focus should be on the students in their care. Security guards are not equipped nor properly trained for handling these situations.
By allowing conceal carry for qualified personnel would deter these crimes from occurring. Having a concealed carry permit creates a level of uncertainty of who may be armed, resulting the loss of the safe haven feeling for anyone who is contemplating a gun based crime on campus. Safety is found in many forms for gun owners, from government/state regulations down to organization trainings, and self-practices. The process to receive a conceal carry permit can be a lengthy and expensive road depending on state regulations.
The government enacted the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to include Public Law 103-159 (Federal Bureau of Investigation, n. d. ); requiring any person whom wishes to purchase a firearm be a minimum age of eighteen years old for rifle purchases and twenty-one years old for a handgun. When purchasing a firearm anywhere in the United States the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Department of Justice require a backgrounds check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database.
A Federal Firearms License Holder conducts this process by collecting the purchaser’s information, the firearms information, and maintaining records of all transactions which are inspect-able twenty-four hours a day. The government additional requires all firearm manufactures to have a discharged bullet on file as a digital finger print for every firearm. States may also place additional requirements to purchase a firearm from holding periods, handgun permits, state approved safety tests, and magazine capacities. States additional regulated the ability to acquire a conceal carry license.
Cost of permits vary from state to state and length in terms of use. To obtain a conceal permit additionally require classroom instruction and hands on range training provided by a state licensed instructor. Upon completion of courses majority of states require an in depth background checks, finger prints, and interviews. The Second Amendment permits the law abiding citizen the right to bear arms and to protect oneself as an individual and these rights shall not be infringed and is one of the original 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights.
Over the years the government has implemented laws and regulations such as the Gun Control Act and the Gun Free School Zone Act to deny citizens their basic rights. Court cases such as McDonald v. Chicago No. 08-1521 (2010) and District of Colombia v. Heller No. 07-290 (2008) paved the way for every state to have a form of conceal carry as of 2013; which authorized the use of a handgun for personal and home defense. The Fourteenth Amendment incorporated the fundamental rights, to keep and bear arms for the purpose of and home defense (Cornell University Law School, n. . ).
Home defense is the place where a person resides, but for the states that do not allow conceal carry on campus are denying the judicious citizen that right. Currently nine states across the nation have authorized the use of carry on campus, to include classrooms, dormitories, and student facilities. No child or parent should fear for their safety while in a learning environment; this can be changed by allowing for adults to be adults and allowing responsible law abiding citizen protect themselves and practice their rights as a citizen.
Through conceal carry on campuses, first responders could have denied or successfully hindered campus from happening. No person should be a victim of a crime and through proper education and training every law abiding citizen can become a first responder for these situations. Ultimately conceal carry on school premises does not distract from students learning but rather it creates a sense of unknown in the classroom.
