Letter to the editor: Against concealed carry

This letter to the editor in Virginia Tech Collegiate Times got quite a few responses, as you might expect. Here is the letter:


In light of the previous week being Firearms Awareness Week and reading the multiple articles about passing the concealed carry law, I felt compelled to write in and bring up some issues that most people seem to be overlooking.

The main argument I hear in favor of the concealed carry on campus is that if students were allowed to carry guns on campus, events like those on April 16, 2007 could be prevented or at least lessened if students had concealed weapons to protect themselves. Personally, I believe that is ridiculous, but even if this was the case, I don't think that is a strong enough argument to let people carry guns into classrooms. Campus shootings such as those on our campus and at Northern Illinois University earlier this year are not everyday occurrences; in fact they are extremely rare. What is actually an everyday occurrence is the death of approximately 80 Americans because of gun violence.

So, would the benefits of allowing students to carry weapons on campus outweigh the risks? No! What may decrease is the number of students killed in large shootings like the one that so greatly affected our campus last spring, but the reverse of this would be the number of single handgun homicides that would inevitably occur if people were able to carry a gun with them into everyday situations. I do not want some 21-year-old student sitting next to me in my math class carrying a gun.

To obtain a gun in Virginia, you must apply and go through a screening process and a background check, unless of course you decide to go to a private dealer at a gun show and simply hand over some money and buy whatever gun that suits your purpose. Some states require you to take a class before you can get a gun, but that's about as effective as putting a 15-year-old through driver's-ed and saying he or she is ready to drive a racecar. The point is that the average college student is not trained to know how and when to use a gun properly in self-defense.

If you let students carry a gun on campus where do you draw the line on when it is appropriately used? If you increase the number of guns on campus, you increase the number of opportunities to use these guns. That isn't a decision that I think should be left up to each individual and untrained student. And if you allow guns on campus, there isn't any way to prevent them from being used, there can only be punishment for using them incorrectly, which is too late to save a life. The answer to guns on campus is not more guns. The only way to prevent events like the one that occurred on our campus last year is to take the guns out of the equation, not adding more to the mix.

One final thought is that on average, if someone gets shot and killed in the United States, four out of five times it's by a handgun. Ban handguns, anybody? This is a huge issue and there are arguments I didn't address, not wanting to turn this letter into an essay, but in the end I think it is a safer and wiser decision to limit the presence of guns on campus and in general, rather than invite more in.

John Forys
senior, mathematics

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Some of the responses;

Posted by: Terry at 2:20 am Really..."so not relevant". Who deals with determined mass shooters more than our military in Iraq or the Israelis? Granted, terrorists have different motivations and it occurs a lot more than on a US college campus. Sky marshalls are a concealed deterent (response) to those intent on harming unarmed citizens. Yet, I can't remember one saving an aircraft... Flag Abuse

Posted by: pro2a at 1:46 am yea, terry. because "you" don't think it'll have an effect on classroom shootings, we shouldn't allow it. get real, that is the worst argument i've ever heard. addressing mass shootings should be a combination of all of these approaches, and there is no possible way you could ever do enough prevention and awareness to eliminate all risk of attack. your response is just so not relevant. then once we step outside of classroom shootings, your reasoning goes right to the trash can, like the ones in this article. Flag Abuse

Posted by: Terry at 1:41 am I think SCCC is arguing for something that will have a negligible effect in deterring or countering gun violence on campus(es). Obviously awareness, prevention and preparation (including an armed response) are important in dealing with any crisis, shooting, terrorist act, etc. But the main efforts should be toward AWARENESS (of those who may be suicidal) and PREVENTION (thru treatment or sending the mentally ill student home). Even our military and the Israelis realized that intelligence and prevention are the key...especially with suicidal bombers or IEDs. Its probably not sky marshalls deterring potential hijackers. More likely they realize that passengers will beat them to death (with or without guns or bombs) because they are aware it can be a one way trip... Flag Abuse

Posted by: Brandon Wilson at 1:03 am this is the same old argument over and over again. what if... what if... the SCCC doesn't present what if's... we present proven facts. if you go back through old newspapers this is the same arguments each state went through before each passed their own Concealed carry laws. everyone knew that it would be absolute panic and shootouts everyday, but guess what? never happened. in fact almost every state that passed a concealed carry law, the crime rate went down, everywhere else without still on the rise. as for college students not experienced enough, i can tell you that most of us spend more time at the ranges improving our accuracy than most cops are required to do. the point is, think about the risks we take right now as we all walk on to campus defensless. we took the risks and look were it landed us, 32 dead. and we havent learned from that. yes the risks do outweigh the choice. that's why i have chosen to carry, because i have chosen not to risk my life anymore. we tried it with the gun-free zone, obviously that worked out real well. now its time to try a proven method of crime control. NO LONGER DO I FEAR FOR MY LIFE, BUT NOW I MAKE THE CRIMINAL FEAR FOR HIS LIFE! Flag Abuse

Posted by: Mike at Apr 28 “So, would the benefits of allowing students to carry weapons on campus outweigh the risks? No! What may decrease is the number of students killed in large shootings like the one that so greatly affected our campus last spring, but the reverse of this would be the number of single handgun homicides that would inevitably occur if people were able to carry a gun with them into everyday situations.” The benefits have without exception outweighed any small risk. Just look at the majority of states that now allow concealed carry. We just don’t see these hypothetical shootouts that the anti concealed carry people predict. Instead we see a reduction in crime. This “inevitable” increase in “the number of single handgun homicides” just doesn’t happen. In fact, at the 11 colleges that currently allow concealed carry by licensed student, there has not been a single gun accident or shootout. Flag Abuse

Posted by: Mike at Apr 28 "Campus shootings such as those on our campus and at Northern Illinois University earlier this year are not everyday occurrences; in fact they are extremely rare." No, but assaults, murders, robbery, and raps ARE everyday occurrences. Guns prevent these crimes somewhere between 800,000 and 2,500,000 times a year, according to around 14 different studies done on the subject. While the chances of another mass shooting is rare, the chances of these other crimes that don’t make headlines is likely at some point in your life. Flag Abuse

Posted by: Alyson Boyce at Apr 28 Ban handguns? Take a look at Washington D.C. where handguns ARE banned....that's a pretty peaceful place, right? Looks like it's working for them.... Flag Abuse

Posted by: Ken Stanton at Apr 28 Use your voice on the topic, take the survey & quiz: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1208998040655 Flag Abuse

Posted by: Ken Stanton at Apr 28 "bring up some issues … seem to be overlooking." And then you go and spout the same old rhetoric, John. First, SCCC takes a firm stance AGAINST any kind of speculation of heroism last April, and always have. The argument is that no one HAD THE CHOICE, so we will never know. "everyday occurrence is the death of approximately 80 Americans because of gun violence." The existence of gun violence only supports SCCC's cause - as we've seen, only equal power can stop a gun. "I do not want some 21-year-old student sitting next to me in my math class carrying a gun." How do you know they aren't now? What about when you're at the movies? There is a good chance there are a few people sitting next to you who are carrying. "unless ... a private dealer at a gun show..." Oh the ol' "gun-show loophole" - unrelated and it doesn't exist... next. "the average college student is not trained to know how and when to use a gun properly in self-defense." Way to sell out your fellow students as irresponsible and incapable of life&death decision-making. "the line on when it is appropriately used?" Maybe the law? It isn't different on campus! "take the guns out of the equation" Yes, that 'no-guns' policy on campus sure makes criminals tremble. "Ban handguns, anybody?" Same old conclusion. You presented nothing new, we address these points every day. Bring in some new arguments next time. Flag Abuse

Posted by: at Apr 28 Dan, I would rather hear statements supporting CCW than all of the unfounded reasons for not having guns on campus. "What if they get drunk and start shooting..." yeah, you hear about this stuff all the time off campus right? Do you realize how many people in Blacksburg own guns and carry concealed weapons already? Flag Abuse

Posted by: Dan at Apr 28 I hope your ready for the large slew of, "Get over your silly fear", "Guns save lives", "Outlaw guns and only outlaws will have them", "Guns don't kill people do", and my personal favorite, "Why not ban cars too then they kill people!" This is a good letter but I promise you'll get all said statements above and maybe more.