Student gun holster protest misses mark on campus

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Posted: 10/23/07

Students from more than 100 universities around the country and 14 students here at Miami University are participating in an empty gun holster protest to make a statement against laws preventing gun owners who have a concealed weapon permit from carrying a firearm on a college campus.

Miami University sent out an announcement via e-mail alerting students about the gun holster protest so as to prevent panic and alarm because of students carrying gun holsters in Miami's classrooms.

The Miami Student editorial board commends these students for being politically active and exercising their constitutional rights to protest against a law they feel is unjust.

As refreshing as this activism is, however, this editorial board disagrees with the idea of allowing college students to carry concealed weapons around campus-even if they have legal permits to do so elsewhere.

While it is likely true that the vast majority of gun crimes committed in this country are not done by those who go through the training and legal process to obtain a concealed weapon permit, a college campus is fundamentally a learning environment. The Ohio law forbids people from carrying concealed weapons for good reason-such weapons could instantly incite panic and fear among students.

It is inevitable and understandable that students would be alarmed by the presence of firearms in the classroom. Legal tradition concerning firearms has empirically prevented the carrying of guns by citizens into schools, bars, etc.

These limits represent prudent judgment on the part of our government to sensibly limit Second Amendment rights to alleviate fear and secure the public's safety.

Furthermore, a university setting is entirely different from the standard street corner. While Miami is publicly funded, classrooms and dormitories are not public places-swipe cards are needed to gain access to these buildings.

Miami is able to make its own policies concerning behavior such as smoking-clearly they should be able to limit the possession of firearms as well.

With this particular protest, the reasoning of these gun holster activists is rather troubling. They claim the presence of concealed firearms on campus could thwart another campus shooting-such as the tragedy that befell Virginia Tech.

This argument is inappropriate to use as a justification for their viewpoint. It is highly unlikely that such a scenario would unfold and that concealed weapon holders would be able to take down a shooter without hurting innocent bystanders or causing further confusion, while law enforcement officials attempt to intervene in a chaotic situation.

Miami's response to the protest was appropriate and prudent. The e-mail sent out informed the student body about an event that could have incited alarm-alarm that best illustrates why students should not be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.