Concealed Weapons Permits holders should be allowed to use their guns on campus
The Issue: With increases in violent crime, columnists debate allowing CWP holders to have guns on campus
The mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., just like the tragedies at Columbine and Virginia Tech, occurred in “gun-free zones,” where unprotected and vulnerable students, faculty members and teachers became innocent victims at the hand of deranged gunmen.
Here at the University of South Carolina, we have seen an outbreak of crimes reported surrounding campus, including a rape and robbery just outside of a residence hall. While it’s not a cure-all for preventing violent crime, one way to protect ourselves now against another tragedy is allowing concealed weapons permit (CWP) owners to carry guns on college campuses.
Yes, we are protected by campus security, emergency phone boxes and rape whistles, but considering the time it takes for help to arrive versus how long it takes for a crime to occur, we are truly our own first responders.
CWP owners are law-abiding citizens who have to go through an application process, training and testing in order to hold the permit. These gun owners are not madmen out to murder people; they are American citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
Women are especially easy targets. I’m 5-foot-1, and walking to my car at night, I’m vulnerable to any attacker. The most recent robbery and rape reminded me of the story of Amanda Collins. Collins was a student at the University of Nevada-Reno and was raped less than 300 yards from the campus police department office.
The sound of a rape whistle only travels so far. Had she been carrying a gun, she would have at least had a chance to avoid this brutal assault.
The Constitution gives us the right to keep and bear arms, but beyond that, we all have an inherent right to defend ourselves. Even with the protective measures taken at USC, and the protective measures we can take ourselves, I still don’t feel safe on campus. We are surrounded by high crime areas, including the increasingly dangerous Five Points. A criminal could easily walk the couple of blocks onto our campus and open fire, knowing tens of thousands of unprotected people are condensed in one area. We cannot continue to allow criminals to carry guns, while simultaneously preventing law-abiding citizens from doing so.