On November 1, the Purdue Student Government sent out a campus-wide email as an opportunity to let students share their opinion on some very controversial topics. Some highlights of the survey included tobacco use, academic dishonesty and the ability to conceal carry on campus. I found it particularly hard to fully articulate my opinion on the latter through a single multiple choice answer.
Earlier this year, Texas law made it possible for anyone with a permit over the age of 21 to carry in most public places, including campus dorms and classrooms. The law was passed on the 50th anniversary of the University of Texas massacre that took place in 1966. Charles Whittman, a UT student, climbed the bell tower with a machine gun, killing 17 and injuring 30 innocent bystanders. one of the first mass shootings on a college campus.
This was a tragedy, but also a learning experience. In the process of the 96-minute shooting spree, civilians had gathered around the base of the tower with their pick up trucks and hunting rifles. Their efforts forced Whittman to take cover and cease shooting until officers were able to climb the tower and shoot him from above.
This man was once an upstanding citizen. Until a few years prior, he was a Marine and a trained marksman. Imagine the increased number of lives that could have been lost had armed civilians not returned fire and stalled the shooter.
With this in mind, I believe it is not only our right, but our duty to conceal carry on campus.
Colonel Daniel Grossman describes three types of people. There are people who have no capacity for violence: these are the sheep. There are those who have a capacity for violence and no empathy and can be defined as aggressive sociopaths: these are the wolves. Then there are those who have both the capacity for violence but the love for fellow man: these are the sheepdogs. Sheepdogs will fight for you, not against you. They protect the herd, not out of self-defense, but for the greater good. A wolf does not stop because there is a sign on the pasture that says keep out. He goes to the herd, starving, not leaving without a meal.
As a society, we have to understand that “gun free” zones only prohibit responsible gun owners from protecting themselves and those around them. People who commit these crimes will not drop their guns once they step onto public property. When an individual has the intention to kill, they will do so regardless of the laws and policies we establish. “Gun free” zones only suppress the actions of law-abiding citizens who hold licenses to carry and undergo extensive background checks, usually accompanied by a great deal of experience. Giving students and faculty the right to bear arms on campus helps better secure the public when an intruder becomes a threat.
It is easy to make arguments in favor of gun free zones. Skeptics say that there could be a correlation between the increase of guns and the increase of violence on campus. There are also those who argue that bringing guns into a learning environment is a distraction and could potentially turn classroom discussions into crime scenes. However, being in possession of a gun does not turn someone into a killer. It is unrealistic to believe that every disagreement or altercation will result in violence. If a person has a history of violent behavior, it is likely that pattern will continue, with or without a gun. In the Bible, Cain killed Able with a rock. After France took away guns, people began stabbing each other with steak knives, prompting steak knife control. We can not control how others will react to certain situations, we can control, though, how we respond.
Our forefathers saw it necessary for us as citizens to be able to defend ourselves from oppression whether that be from an intruder on campus or from our leaders nationwide. They gave us the second amendment to ensure that we would never be defenseless, a principle that applies now more than ever. Gun violence does not need to be a weekly news headline. We do not have to leave ourselves vulnerable to the will of others. We have a constitutional right to protect ourselves and that shouldn’t cease when we step foot on campus.
When we make campus gun-free, who are we really protecting?
