STAFF EDITORIAL

“Why don’t we form a circle, pilgrim, so we can do some geometry.”

Welcome to WWWU: Wild, Wild West University, starring professor Johnson, with a Derringer, and Mary, the cheerleading captain, with a semi-automatic.

This is real-life kindergarten cop. And there are no cops in this equation.

According to ConcealedCampus.com, the doctrine of allowing “concealed handgun license holders to carry concealed handguns on college campuses” has substantial support.

It is unfortunate that this is the reaction from so many. While it is difficult to cope with such horrors in humanity, inviting guns on campus is missing the point.

Many times school shootings stem from angst and mental issues. Emphasis should be placed on improvements that can be made in these areas.

Concealed handguns on campus are an issue independent of campus safety.

Issues of safety and security are the job of the campus police. It is not the responsibility of students and faculty to fend for their own — once again, this is not the Wild West. It is a civilized community, not a Hobbsian state of nature.

The Web site accounts that “over 19,000 college students, college faculty members, parents of college students and concerned citizens” have agreed with the stance.

Who wants to take a course from professor Ted Nugent?

The mindset of these citizens is that an armed student body will be able to “mitigate” campus gun violence. School shootings would diminish if state legislature enforced the allowance of guns on campus.

This is the same allowance, under Michigan law, for movie theatres, office buildings and shopping malls.

Of course, there are still shootings in these areas as well.

So, we must think beyond weapon legality — we must look at the root of the problem.

Efforts should be made to reach out to those in need so these individuals do not feel alienated.

Locations where concealed guns are not legal include sports arenas, places of worship, hospitals and “a dining room, lounge, or bar area of a premises licensed under the liquor control code of 1998,” as stated in section 5o of Public Act 381. Schools and universities are also included in this act as “gun free zones.”

Regardless of the laws, bringing more guns on campus does not stop the problem at hand. A concealed handgun would not be a guarantee against a deranged gunman. Concealed weapons on campus may not solve the disgruntled mindset and anger of a shooter. Other factors should be used to combat this.

Nonetheless, some of the arguments for concealed weapons are consistent. Those with concealed weapons permits are trained in gun safety, and have met certain requirements. Arguments against guns must face this reality — a concealed weapon is present in most other nonviolent and civil environments, and we do not classify these environments as “the Wild West.”

However, the college campus and classroom are not places for guns, in the same way that hospitals and churches are not. Rules on campus exist, as do prohibitions on other behaviors, due to the nature of the environment. We trust the campus to be secure, and extra guns may not provide this security.

Statistics show that even police officers lose control of guns. Even a highly trained concealed weapon owner is prone to mistakes. College students and professors would hardly be sharpshooters.

Also, college students are notorious for drinking and rowdy behavior. Firearms and horseplay are not a healthy cocktail. As the law above states, concealed weapons are illegal where this activity is permitted. Guns on campus create too high a risk.

But holistically, this is not even the issue. Improvements in other areas are what will help stop school shootings.

Ultimately, whether Charlton Heston is sitting next to you in class or not, school shootings are still a danger and threat.

Increase the security force, and arm those in need with the tools necessary to help improve their lives.

The admittance of concealed weapons on campus will not solve the problem.

Concealed weapons won’t stop campus shootings