Guest Opinion: Proposal to allow concealed weapons on campus ill conceived
I am sure that many people have disagreed with what I have written in previous guest opinions. However, I seriously doubt that anybody will disagree with the following: If a minimum level of intelligence was required to hold elected office, many of our current elected officials would not qualify.Case in point is Rep. Greg Steube, a Republican from Sarasota, who introduced a bill that would allow those with concealed weapon permits to carry firearms on college campuses.
Those of us who teach at colleges and universities are well aware of the stress that students experience. Many of them live on their own, and are employed in more than one job. The stress of work and school, coupled with alcohol and drug use on the part of some students, can make for a deadly mixture. Adding firearms on campus to that combination is a recipe for disaster.
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral lasted 30 seconds, and the combatants were only a few feet apart when the firing began. When one considers that those men were highly experienced in the use of firearms and, given the proximity to one another, one wonders how any of them survived. As was evident in that gunfight, even those who are highly experienced in the use of firearms can miss their targets, especially when they are also targets.
Now imagine a student confronting a teacher who, the student believes, unjustifiably gave him/her a failing grade. That student may be carrying a firearm, and may decide to use it in a classroom to get even with that teacher. Then what? Would other students who are “packing”, and not well trained in the use of firearms, then whip out their guns and begin shooting in order to protect themselves? If it wasn’t so serious, it would be laughable.
Don’t forget that students often have disputes with one another. A jilted boyfriend or girlfriend, who believes his/her life is over because he/she has been “dumped,” might consider that the “dumper” does not deserve to live. Also don’t forget that sexual assaults take place on college campuses. The only thing worse than a sexual assault is one committed by an individual carrying a firearm.
FGCU faculty members were asked to comment on the bill. One wrote, “When State Legislators allow citizens to carry arms into their halls and workplace, I will accept the legislators’ desire to allow weapons into mine.” Another said, “The minute firearms are permitted on campus, carried by other than trained security or law enforcement, will be the last day I ever step foot in a classroom. Although I have never had a classroom situation I could not handle, the thought of confrontation by an angry, armed, 19 year old who has just received a disappointing grade is alarming.”
Most law enforcement officials are opposed to the proposed law for reasons too numerous to mention. I wondered if that included Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, the father of Rep. Greg Steube. Therefore, I decided to call and ask him if he too opposed the proposed law. Not surprisingly, he did not return my phone call.
I believe that responsible individuals have the right to own firearms and have concealed weapon permits, as do I. However, restrictions are placed on that right, for common sense reasons. Common sense dictates that allowing firearms on college campuses, under the pretense that it will prevent shooting fatalities, is patently absurd.
Paul D. Asfour is an FGCU Assistant Professor – Justice Studies