In the recent editorial in on April 2, 2012 titled “Weapons Bill Doesn’t Ensure Campus Safety” in the State News, I was both stunned as well as not surprised by the misinformation and perception that CPL (concealed pistol license) holders on university campuses would make things worse or make people feel “more unsafe”. Personally it is frustrating, so I believe it is important to clear the air with facts and the truth.
To begin with observation, it is clear opponents of guns on campuses usually are not fans of firearms in general and usually surround themselves with so-called “truths” about guns. They cite that firearms, even in the hands of qualified and law-abiding citizens, only incite more violence and lead to a “wild west” society. This same “logic” was brought up when legislation to make the State of Michigan a “shall issue” state. The scenario that many predicted with more law-abiding citizens carrying, that of a lawless frontier society, never happened. These scare tactics have to stop. We have seen that in places where CPLs are allowed and issued crime tends to be lower, whereas cities with gun bans often have higher crime rates like Washington DC and Chicago. So right here the myths should be dispelled. Guns in the hands of qualified, law-abiding citizens do not create more violence or nor make things worse. The facts state on the contrary that communities and people are safer by allowing concealed carry.
Now you may be wondering why I have used the phrase “qualified, law abiding” a few times now. The reason is because I cannot stress the concept enough. CPL’s are not given to just anyone and everyone. They are only issued to qualified candidates who have taken firearms courses to become proficient in shooting and knowledgeable of the laws regarding discharge and carrying of a concealed pistol. It has been documented as well that CPL holders are more law-abiding than the average public. Currently there are over 305,000 concealed carry licensees in the state and can carry because they are law abiding. Yet this brings up a question that baffles me why people are against carrying on campus. If we allow 21 year olds and up to carry everywhere else in the state why are we discriminating once they cross an arbitrary boundary that delineates between a college campus and the rest of the state?
The fact of the matter is to deprive those 21 and over who qualify and are law-abiding citizens of their right to carry is dangerous. In 2008 alone 45 forcible sexual offenses occurred on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. Here in East Lansing our campus is extremely unsafe as well. From 2008 to 2010, 38 forcible sexual offenses occurred on MSU’s campus. As the Department of Education notes in the compiling of this data they stress that the statistics may actually be under reported! Armed robbery, rape, aggravated assault, and even murder happen on college campuses yet we are supposed to feel safe? The case of Amanda Collins, a former student of the University of Nevada Reno, should be a wake up call to all of us. Even though she was a qualified, law-abiding citizen she could not carry her firearm on her university’s campus. Abiding by the law she left her firearm at her house. Yet because she abided by the law Amanda Collins was raped at gunpoint only some 100 feet from the police station on the ground floor of a campus parking garage, unable to defend herself. Because she was denied her right not only to the 2nd Amendment but the basic right of self-defense Amanda Collins became yet another victim of America’s “crime-zones”, a term used in place of so called “pistol-free zones” that campuses are a member of.
While people claim they would “feel unsafe” with legal concealed carry by law abiding citizens on campuses, it baffles me that they do not feel unsafe already. Armed robbery, sexual assault, and other violent crimes happen on this campus quite often. Those people who dislike guns do not have the right to dictate others’ safety. Law abiding and qualified citizens especially in the MSU community should have every right to protect themselves rather than be another victim or another casualty. The arguments against this bill are like a broken record people. They used these scare tactics and misinformation up 12 years ago and now they are doing it again. The facts speak for themselves. The question truly is: Wouldn’t you want to protect yourself if your life was in danger? We all answer yes to that question, and by letting those qualified individuals exercise their Constitutional right to carry just as they can everywhere else in the state we will not only be able to protect ourselves but make this community a safer place to live for all of us.
