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[QUOTE id="55fe621e-2e8f-458f-b7e4-6fd5a4f1c6b9"]I feel that it is you, the editorial board, that has missed the point. The key word in "concealed carry" is "CONCEALED". Students will not know which students, faculty, and staff members are licensed and who exercises their right to carry. I was in a room earlier this month with 2-300 citizens legally carrying a concealed weapon. I honestly couldn't tell any of them were (by the way, not a single crime involving a firearm was committed while in this room). Trying to figure out who is LEGALLY carrying a gun is as preposterous as trying to figure out who has a green pen in their pocket. Furthermore, students, faculty, and staff can already carry at Colorado State and in public universities in Utah and do so without disrupting the educational environment or inducing fear. The comments by the editorial board are the same as in every single state that issues such licenses, but it has been shown that when you conceal a weapon, nobody notices. Actually, Miami is unable to make stricter policies concerning the legal use of firearms. HB 347 (now ORC GP 9.68) which went into effect March of this year, prohibits cities, towns, etc. from enacting stricter gun laws than those already established by the state. Thus, if state law changes, Miami policy would be forced to change. We're not only citing Virginia Tech as reason to change the laws. What about assaults, armed robberies, rapes? These vicious felonies may also be thwarted by an armed student standing up to do the right thing. While a school shooting may be rare, it is not impossible to think that someone would ILLEGALLY carry a gun on campus (not to be thwarted by Ohio law prohibiting it) and ILLEGALLY commit crimes. Finally, the notion that armed students will impede police procedures is also not the case. This is another common argument in states that issue licenses and it has clearly not been the case. Licensees get their license first and foremost to protect THEMSELVES. The training classes I have heard of emphasize that licensees are not law enforcement officers nor are they superheroes. Police response time can be long, however, and most shootings are over probably within 30 secs. Miami response time can be up to 2 minutes. At Virginia Tech, police officers waited for 30 mins. before they were able to reach the shooter. An armed student or professor could have ended it without it really ever beginning. A student on one side of campus isn't going to race across campus just so they can try to play hero, and I reiterate that we are trained not to do so. But again, it's not just about school shootings. How many of you know female students (or are such students) that wouldn't stand a chance against a 250lb. guy intent on raping her? The chances of such heinous crimes occurring on campus is minute, but should NEVER be ignored. A few weeks ago, a student was attacked by 3 males unknown to him outside of a residence hall. He's lucky he managed to scramble inside and close the door behind him. The 3 assailants could have been armed, but lucky for this particular student, all they hit him with was their firsts. However, had this particular student been licensed and able to carry on campus, he could have diffused the situation merely by unholstering his firearm (if he feared his life was in imminent danger of death or severe bodily injury--if you ask me, if there's 3 against 1, I'm going to fear for my life) or shooting if it became necessary. It is clear to me that none of you did your homework before formulating your own opinions. Combine that with a very two-faced point of view and overall it amounts to poor journalism. Studies consistently show (and I can cite sources) that the carrying of a concealed handgun does in fact lead to less violence and that licensees are amongst some of the most law abiding citizens. I urge you all to reconsider your viewpoints on the issue. I don't understand how you can seem to agree with our position one minute and then support the university the next (which, in all reality, the university has nothing to do with it).[/QUOTE]

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