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Show a OPINION cz ri --- ..,,,,,mtm.,wOr.,F.1 LL. I J 5 Th BY JONN HOLLAND trippyjedi Gun control has become n issue due to a recent school and public shootings in 2018. Open carry for faculty on college campuses is at the top of a list of growing hot-butto- gun concerns. However, I feel open carry can be a solution to increasing safety concerns. There are a lot of arguments against people carrying guns on campuses or in public. However, there are plenty of pros to consider as well. The Second Amendment states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." In other words, citizens of the United States have a fundamental right to carry guns for the protection of their freedoms and to ensure that those freedoms are not taken away by a corrupt or tyrannical government. It is important to point out that because of the Second Amendment, all citizens in every state are allowed to own and keep a gun. The only power the government has in regul, lating this is at the is where it decided if residents of a state can open carry or conceal carry and if that requires a permit or not. Currently, state-leve- 31 states allow open carry without a permit, 16 require a permit and 6 prohibit open carry. This list can be found at Aliengearholsters.com where they go into more detail concerning states with specific restrictions. That said, the amendment does state the right to bear arms "shall not be infringed." The fact that there are those who wish for gun laws to be changed, or for guns to be banned altogether is to me, an infringement because the right to bear arms isn't an "everyone gets a gun" sort of law. It's a law that provides us with the freedom to choose. You can own a gun or not and it's a choice that should not be taken away or overly restricted. Defense of self and others is a part of protecting our freedoms and an important aspect of having the ability to carry fire arms. In the instance a person enters your home with the intent to do harm to you or your family, a gun can be the difference between life or death. Similarly, in the case of the bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, if the bouncers, bartender or even a few of the patrons were armed and fired back at the gunman, he (kUUfl S with open carry or concealed carry permits in states requiring permits to bring them on school grounds. A Dixie Sun News article about a professor who carries a gun said he trains his students on what to do if there is an active shooter on campus. An article on insidehighered.com said the intention isn't to prevent school shootings, but to provide a sense of security for the individual. A person who carries a gun hopefully will not need to use the weapon, though having a means to protect oneself LT!;6 BY ABBY combination of police, faculty members and students. The likelihood at bay long enough for more people to get to safety, if not Majority of adults say gun laws should be stricter than they are today Percent saying gun laws should be All gunman's chances of succeeding in taking Less strict 31 11 23 4 I. ? 46 4 Among Democrat Leaning Dem. Cl Gun owner 25 10 - 13 owner L Source: Pew Research Center News Service Graphic:1 On the issue of crime, open carry has proven to be an effective deterrent of violent crimes as indicated in a U.S. News article that said in a sur- vey of incarcerated felons, 57 percent of them agreed that criminals are more concerned about meeting an armed victim than the police. Because of school shootings, there is talk of allowing teachers to carry guns on campus, and in some cases, allowing university students of a violent crime being committed on campus will be lowered and all can feel more secure when on the premises. For those concerned about accidents or the fatality of guns, there are alternatives, such as rubber bullets and bean bags. Also, we must remember that a gun is a non-leth- al tool meant to be used for and proper be taken should training by any who wish to own self-defens- security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Second Amendment 99 students, faculty or staff should have guns. Thirteen chiefs of police at different University of Wisconsin campuses published an open letter voicing their opposition to the state's campus carry law. "Our colleges do not need more guns," the letter read. "Guns do not belong in our classrooms, student centers, laboratories, workout facilities, locker rooms, offices, residence halls or athletic venues." Instead, Utah legislature should either ban carrying a concealed weapon on campuses as 10 other states do, or even leave it up to the individual university to decide as another 23 states do. However, having an overreaching policy to allow guns on campus only provides room for harm. More guns do not make the situation safer; it only creates more nity increases high prob- ability to en- gage in reckless behavior such as binge 13 e, a gun. Cluskey, a University of Utah student, was shot and killed on campus. One way to prevent this dreadful thing from happening again is to prohibit open carry on campuses. There are currently 10 states that allow open carry on campus; however, Utah is the only state that has a statute specifically stating that colleges and universities are public entities and cannot ban concealed carry. This statute is Utah Code 53B-3-10- 3. well regulated Militia, being necessary to the people because of their 26 61 la, owner owner n A college-age- d r Non-gu- 66 tenfold in r n Simply, the college campus is not a place where for harm. This 20 52 Among Republican I Leaning Rep. Non-gu- unlimited." opportunity : Democrat! Gun security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." However, every constitutional amendment has its limits, including the right to bear arms. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, "Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not person." Leaning Democrat lives will be considerably lower . than they are today 57,to , versus three, four, or ten people with guns firing backthat adults Republican I Leaning Republican DOMAN About right :More strict puses. Many say that open carry allows for good citizens to stop those doing harm that a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun. According to The Trace, a nonprofit news organization, this claim is misplaced. The Trace writers Evan Defilippis and Devin Hughes explain: "An FBI report detailing 160 active shooting incidents from 2000-201- 3 found that only one incident was stopped by a concealed carry permit holder, and he happened to be a Marine. By comparison, 21 active shooters were stopped by unarmed citizens good sevIn without guns. guys eral cases, a good guy with a gun has attempted to intervene and either been killed, injured or nearly shot the wrong A university should not be a place where you have to worry about getting shot. However, this horrific circumstance has become a reality as gun violence continues to grow in the United States. Just this past October, Alexis Mc can help one feel safe. I would feel safer were there people on campus at Dixie State University with guns, whether they be campus police, or a Gun law reform? stopped entirely. There is an argument that more guns will increase the amount of harm that can be done, but in a situation with a lone gunman in Utah allow concealed weapons on their cam- abbydomanDSN would have been held : Therefore, all 10 public higher education facilities drinking, drug use and The Trace reports fighting. multiple times where simple disagreements led to someone being shot. Due to this unpredictability, campus police should be the ones to keep the university safe. These people are trained and better equipped to handle high-stresituations. As students, faculty and staff we should be able to trust those with the power to protect us to do so. Advocates for concealed carry also cite the Second Amendment, which states, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the ; ss k, r DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A COLUMN? Emairus at DixieSundixie.edu, message us on Facebook, or tweet at us using voiceofdixie. fk- r 1 ' I t'L.V )9.,) 1401t, , 1,, tv110,!i |