The issue of gun control has been a hot topic in the news recently. Many states and colleges have been struggling with the whether or not they should allow concealed carry on college campuses. I do not believe allowing students to carry guns as means of self defense is okay. What genius thinks it would be a great idea to allow a teenager to wield a gun on campus? I am not saying students and teachers shouldn’t be allowed to defend themselves. I’m saying pulling out a gun as your first weapon of defense is a bit extreme.

Yes, it may be totally called for in the instance there was an active shooter on campus. While the threat of a mass shooting is real and looms over the heads of many Americans, I don’t believe it is this extreme. I believe there are other alternatives to defense. There’s pepper spray and mace for example.

The issue of harassment on college campuses is real. I do think that people should be able to defend themselves against their harasser(s). Just not with a lethal weapon. If you are being harassed on a college campus, or anywhere for that matter, the first solution should not be to pull out a gun. This raises the chances of a mere confrontation turning lethal when it does not need to be.

I think everyone can agree that we have a gun problem in the United States. I do not believe the solution to the gun problem is bringing more guns or making them easier to get.  I’m not suggesting total elimination of guns either. Some may say that not allowing concealed carry is a breach of the Second Amendment. The second amendment explicitly 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.” Nowhere in the second amendment does it mention conceal carry.

It has also shown that in places that allow conceal carry have had their crime rates go up. According to an 2012 report by the National Bureau of Economic Research states that passed concealed carry laws between 1977 and 2010 had a 2% or more murder rate increase. There was an at least 9% increase in rates of rape, aggravated assault, robbery, auto theft, burglary and larceny.

While there is laws for concealed carry that require background checks, it does not prevent the bad guys from acquiring a weapon. According to a survey by the Inter-university of Consortium for Political and Social Research, 75% of incarcerated felons reported carrying a gun while committing a crime because of the chance “the victim would be armed.”

To conclude, I feel that public safety should be left up to the trained professionals such as police officers. While some states do require training before getting a concealed carry license, others like Georgia and Maryland do not. I do not think people should be allowed to wield such a dangerous weapon without any professional training. Most of all I believe that there are better means to self defense than carrying around a potentially lethal gun.