California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

    A Safer Education Means No Guns

    With new laws passed allowing the concealed carry of firearms on state college campuses across Texas, students are speaking up about the inherent danger guns bring to learning facilities.

    These laws allow concealed firearms to be carried into specifically designated areas. Only a few areas like sports arenas are precluded from this law, according to Texas penal code 46.03.

    It is no surprise this new legislation is going to bring a large amount of weapons onto locations largely considered to be a peaceful realm of learning, which will possibly suppress the interchange of ideas.

    This means that students wishing to better themselves through higher education will not only have to worry about their test on Friday but also whether or not their classmate has a firearm on their person. This is beyond the realm of reason.

    โ€œGenerally speaking, the law allows guns in buildings, classrooms and dorms, but rules may differ from campus to campus. For example, at the University of Texas at Austin, where faculty and students vigorously protested the law, teachers will be allowed to declare their offices as gun-free zones, but most will post signs announcing it,โ€ according to Business Insider.

    This means that students, granted they are at least 21 years of age, can have a concealed weapon in areas with possibly hundreds of people as long as they have a concealed handgun license.

    However, only public schools in Texas fall under this new law and are subject to their law-abiding students carrying handguns into their classrooms. Next year, this law will take effect in private university campuses and 2-year colleges.

    California Lutheran University is a private university, meaning that even if a similar law were passed in California, it would fall under the judgment of the board at Cal Lutheran.

    There are some people at Cal Lutheran that feel these laws are justifiable, and necessary to keep a campus safe from those wishing harm unto others.

    โ€œAs soon as I graduate from college, I am applying for my CCW [Carry Concealed Weapons] permit,โ€ said Jared Smith, president of the College Republicans club.

    Smith is an avid supporter of the Second Amendment and feels that there is room on college campuses for both books and handguns, but not without the proper training and knowledge.

    โ€œTo have a concealed carry license, you have to go through training. Assuming someone is trained, licensed and has the proper physical and mental faculties to properly use a firearm to defend themselves, I donโ€™t see any problem with campus concealed carry,โ€ Smith said.

    Smith also believes that a person wishing to undergo this training should agree to an extensive background check. Jumping through the hoops of concealed ownership regulations proves that a person has the right kind of mindset to not pose any danger.

    While there is a dire need for security on campuses, it should not be up to college students to assume the role of a vigilante. Itโ€™s their job to focus on their education, not become a part of another emergency news bulletin.

    While this may be true for some, most of the students at UT will not participate in this law thanks in part to its age restriction . This does not take into account the intrinsic immaturity that accompanies some college students, even seniors on their way to graduation.

    Students at UT have combatted these new laws with normalizing something that is equally at odds with society: sex culture. By distributing sex toys to students, theyโ€™re fighting absurdity with absurdity.

    By painting a picture that looks just as absurd as carrying a handgun, it shows that these laws are putting students into uncomfortable situations, and rightfully so.

    These laws are allowing an unnecessary amount of danger into classrooms given the amount of shootings that have happened on university campuses. What these laws are not accounting for is the sheer unpredictability of humans by nature.

    In moments of great panic or distress, itโ€™s either flight or fight, and you better believe the more appealing option is flight.

    Connor McKinney
    Staff Writer