Concealed weapons on campus (Essay Sample)

Concealed Weapons on Campus Name Institution Affiliation Concealed Weapons on Campus Introduction Like never before, possession of guns has rapidly increased across the globe, especially in the United States (Cavanaugh, Bouffard, Wells, & Nobles, 2012). Recently, various cases of shooting drew attention to whether concealed guns should be allowed at campuses. In fact, most people believe that restricting or completely removing guns from campuses helps when it comes to protecting the lives of students and staff. However, stopping possession of guns on college campuses seems to be problematic in one way or the other. For example, banning carrying guns on campus violates laws concerning rights to have or carry concealed weapons (Verrecchia & Hendrix, 2017). In this perspective, the big question remains on whether students and staff should be allowed to possess concealed weapons while at campus, and this paper explores both sides of the topic while emphasizing the best option. Analysis of Both Sides The importance of carrying concealed weapons has always been seen as protective. In this case, students should be allowed to possess concealed weapons while at campuses to protect themselves from people who attempt to harm them. In the study conducted by Cavanaugh et al. (2012), many American people believe in the right to own guns. However, it is important that gun owners are taught to be responsible, especially by using possessed gun only in a right way. In other words, allowing possession of concealed weapons does not mean hurting someone for no good reason. More so, Thompson, Price, Dake, & Teeple (2012) speculate that guns do not kill people, but people do. In this case, removing guns from campuses may not stop killings as people may use other objects to harm others such as knives, broken pipes, sticks to mention but a few. Therefore, students and staff members should be allowed to carry concealed weapons while at campus. On the other hand, I believe that carrying concealed weapons at campuses would cause more danger despite the benefits. First, having guns at campuses potentially affects the healthy-leaning environment for students. For example, research indicates that some people including students have used concealed weapons to intimidate others for no good reason (Verrecchia & Hendrix, 2017). As a result, this usually put the population at these campuses at risk by subjecting them to unnecessary intimidation and violation. Second, possession of concealed weapons while at campus does not paint a rosy picture as this increased the chances of committing crime such as shooting innocent people. Therefore, allowing students and staff to carry concealed weapons at campuses would indeed create more problems instead of solving them. Best Alternative Based on what has been happening as reported by various researchers, I believe that carrying concealed weapons at campuses should not be allowed despite the few benefits. While other are strong arguments on why such weapons are important to students and staff, I find reasons for having weapons at campus somewhat weaker. For example, carrying guns at campus does not solve real problems that most students and stuff face but rather these concealed weapons are used to intimidate others in the process of fulfilling their own agendas. In this perspective, it is better to stop carrying concealed weapons at composes rather than putting millions of people at risk for hypothetical reasons. Conclusion Finally, possession of concealed weap...