Beginning Monday, pro-gun politicians — this time with the backing of the National Rifle Association — will lock, load and attempt once again to pass legislation that will allow students, faculty and staff to carry firearms on the campuses and into the buildings of Arizona’s public universities and community colleges.
Arizona would be the fifth state to adopt such legislation.
Party-affiliations aside, the bigger questions that arise out of this speak to the larger issue of safety and beg for more validation of a legitimate necessity for this legislation.
The universities and their students aren’t exactly picketing for change. Furthermore, is the safety of the aforementioned parties currently in such a state of disarray — so evidently lacking in providing piece of mind to the public — that a more “DIY” approach is what we need?
A benchmark in the argument for allowing guns on campus clings to the second amendment and is based on claims that this would provide more protection and help to ease any concerns of safety for students.
Historically, schools at all levels have been undisputed gun-free zones. Schools aim to promote an atmosphere of learning, not one of hostility or fear. After the Columbine High School shootings of 1999, zero-tolerance policies were adopted nationwide, which made discussion, or even joking about firearms completely forbidden.
The country was scared of an attacker that may come from their very home and we adhered to the new policies.
We’ve all read the headlines of middle school students being expelled for carrying water pistols or entire school districts being locked down after the discovery of phantom hit lists.
Think of that scene from “Meet The Parents” when Ben Stiller’s character accidentally utters the word “bomb” while he is on a plane, another gun-free zone. However funny the scene was, its message was real: behavior like that is simply not tolerated.
In 2007, the country mourned as 32 people were killed and 25 others wounded in a similar massacre that took place at Virginia Tech. Like its predecessors, this tragedy began in the troubled mind of someone who felt so ostensibly outcast that he felt this was the only option.
The very real threat of a school shootings was solidified in the minds of every parent with a child enrolled in college or every student sitting in a classroom. The national discussion shifted somewhat from asking, “What is causing this?” to, “What more can we do to protect ourselves?”
Somehow, the word ironic fails to adequately describe the situation of this push for legislation beginning exactly one year after U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others at a shopping plaza in Tucson suffered from gunshot wounds that came from behind the barrel of yet another misguided individual with easy access to firearms.
If this legislation passes, along with it comes a list of rules, regulations and stipulations of which individuals with a concealed-carry permit will have to abide by. There is talk of “firearm check-in stations,” lockers and security checkpoints that gun holders will have to pass through upon entering buildings.
Some are proposing that to carry a gun on campus, one must also enroll in firearm safety and training courses and register themselves as gun carriers with the university.
The first step in arming those who wish to carry firearms with them to class is educating them and making sure they know how to use these firearms. This is the gun-proponents way of extending the olive branch to those who oppose it.
However, one might counter this with the question, are these stipulations (expenses) necessary and are they the responsibility of the University if this is a government-mandated law?
At the end of the day what this boils down to is student and faculty safety. Thinking in the context of last month’s “gunman” on campus, in which a student living in Hassayampa Village was robbed at gunpoint.
The subsequent tweets, police updates and university emails that were meant to alert their recipients, all described the suspect as a “gunman.” The term was clearly meant to label him as a threat.
However, if students and faculty were permitted to carry concealed weapons on campus, wouldn’t that same title be appropriate in describing someone who is simply walking to class or enjoying the Arizona sun?
This is an issue that will without a doubt be a constant topic of discussion amongst your friends, family and classmates this semester. Before completely making up your mind, arm yourself with the facts, reload any information and consider all possibilities before targeting any one conclusion.
Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.
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