Columbine, Virginia Tech, University of Texas — these names bring horrific images to mind. As a college student, just hearing about a campus shooting is one of the worst things that can happen.
Now, a new law has passed in Florida allowing concealed weapons in vehicles on campus. In December 2013, the 1st District Court of Appeals ruled that, in the state in Florida, it is legal to have a concealed weapon on campuses, only if the gun is in the glove compartment. Although colleges are allowed to create their own rules with prohibitions regarding firearms, many schools are reevaluating and adjusting their policies due to this decision.
The most recent school allowing guns in glove compartments is Broward College. Palm Beach State College and Florida International University are also planning to allow concealed weapons. NSU still prohibits guns anywhere on campus.
The number one priority of any school should not be to provide an education or a sublime social experience, but to guarantee safety for its students, faculty and staff. Unfortunately, safety can be jeopardized when dangerous incidents occur on campus. These incidents, in turn, can change lives. The most horrific of these are school shootings. Something needs to change to prevent shootings.
Just look at the facts. Since the beginning of 2013, 19 states have passed laws allowing students to bring concealed weapons to campus. Statistics from the Department of Agriculture show that one out every 14 Floridians carries a concealed weapon and Florida has the highest number of concealed weapon permits in the United States.
The Huffington Post reported that in 2013, there were 27 college shootings with 18 fatalities. This number increased with recent shootings at Purdue University, when an unknown man shot a teaching assistant, and at South Carolina University, when a man was shot point blank after a verbal altercation. Both shootings occurred due to people carrying concealed weapons. Concealed weapons policies will only lead to more fatal incidents.
These shootings gain unprecedented media attention, cause worldwide uproars and the fact remains: this law is just disturbingly scary.
Safety and protection are what make a campus function. When the campus is safe, it leads to more students staying and being more active with their studies and social involvements. We need to find alternatives for greater protection, whether through increasing security or finding new methods of improving campus safety that would benefit the staff, faculty and students of all universities. NSU is right to not change its policy regarding firearms in vehicles; let’s keep it that way.
