CURRENTLY the commonwealth of Virginia does not allow anyone to carry a firearm on school property, including university property. A bill has been introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates that would allow full-time faculty members to carry a concealed weapon on the grounds of the public university they are employed by . Allowing responsible, law-abiding citizens to bring a concealed weapon on to university campuses is the best defense available against violent attacks. Students should also be allowed to carry concealed weapons, but this bill is a step in the right direction for securing universities across the commonwealth.
This law is necessary because those who want to enact violence will not be deterred by the illegality of bringing a concealed weapon on a university campus. That will only be the first law they break. Therefore law-abiding citizens who only desire to use a firearm in self-defense must be allowed to legally carry a concealed weapon. In order to receive a carry and conceal weapon permit in Virginia, residents must pass a court-approved firearms training course and submit an application to their local court. The court has 45 days to issue or deny a permit. According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, “The traits associated with gun owners show virtually no statistical association with criminal or violent behavior. If anything, gun ownership is inversely correlated with criminal characteristics.” Allowing faculty members, who have been determined to be responsible and law-abiding citizens, to carry a concealed weapon acts both as a backup to University police forces and a deterrent to attacks ever happening in the first place.
Knowing that concealed weapons are legal and likely present on a university campus will deter most criminals. As seen by the Virginia Tech shootings, however, crimes committed on a university campus can be perpetrated by psychopathic individuals. In such an instance, university police may be minutes away from the scene. Concealed weapons carriers can provide an instantaneous response. Whether scaring the assailant off or being able to disarm him, the diversion created by revealing a concealed weapon can save lives.
Studies have shown that making concealed weapons legal reduces violent crime. John R. Lott, Jr., a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland, has done multiple studies on the subject and all support the conclusion that concealed carry laws cause a decrease in violent crimes. In a commentary published on July 13, 2003, in The Los Angeles Times, Lott said, “Examining all the multiple-victim public shootings in the United States from 1977 to 1999 shows that on average, states that adopt right-to-carry laws experience a 60 percent drop in the rates at which the attacks occur, and a 78 percent drop in the rates at which people are killed or injured from such attacks.” This is because criminals try to avoid concealed weapons carriers and tend to commit more personal property offenses like grand larceny. The end result is that people are safer, though the same cannot be said of their possessions.
On a university campus, the most important safety concern is for the university’s people. Universities are not like grade schools, restricted to one building that has a police officer constantly present. University campuses are open to everyone, and the police can only be in so many places at once.
Right now there is nothing to prevent a person from carrying a concealed weapon on a university campus. If a weapon is concealed, no one is the wiser until someone gets hurt. It is unlikely law-abiding citizens will bring a weapon on to a university campus under the current law. This makes it imperative that such law-abiding citizens be allowed to do so.
There is no reason an eligible student should not also be allowed to carry a concealed weapon onto a university campus. If the commonwealth has determined that citizen should receive a carry and conceal weapon permit, allowing a student to carry concealed firearms can only increase the security of the campus. In the event an attack occurred, there would only be one person in the room allowed to carry a concealed weapon, and the faculty member may or may not be exercising that right. Students should also be given the opportunity to defend themselves and should not have to rely on faculty members to do it for them. The deterrence and additional security provided by allowing concealed firearms on university campuses could only be enhanced by allowing students the same rights as faculty members.
Since concealed carry laws have been shown to decrease violent crime, they should most certainly be incorporated into the security plans for university campuses. Allowing faculty members to carry concealed weapons is a good first step towards increasing security. When every person on a university campus has the right to defend themselves, there will be less crime and the university will be a safer place.
Annette Robertson is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at a.robertson@cavalierdaily.com.
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