Debate on Firearms on Campus Continues On

Guns. Some say they kill people, others say they don't. To add to this endless debate, some pose the question: should guns be permitted on college campuses? Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) are advocates of this important debate. While the SCCC currently has no active involvement on Longwood's campus, other Virginia universities may be advancing a step further in allocating licenses for students and staff members to bear arms on the typical college scene.The SCCC is a national grassroots non-profit organization composed of more than 40,000 members of the college community, including students, staff, professors, parents and concerned citizens. They all support the idea that concealed handgun licensees have a constitutional right to the same degree of protection offered off of college campuses.

While they agree campuses have their fare share of violent crimes, they note the number of gun related crimes is extremely low. However, for some, low is not close enough to zero. To completely eradicate any statistic of gun related crimes, the SCCC aims to eliminate so called "gun free zones," and allow permit carriers the opportunity to justly defend themselves and their campus community.

Nine Virginia colleges and universities have an established SCCC chapter on campus grounds. These include Virginia Tech (VT), James Madison University (JMU), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), The College of William and Mary (W&M), Liberty University and Shenandoah University, just to name a few. All of the chapters support similar legislation regarding carrying firearms on campus. Their main goal is to educate the campus community that carrying concealed weapons is not a dangerous idea and should be supported.

In order to fully understand the SCCC, the idea of jurisdiction needs to be taken into account. Should the university have any jurisdiction over weather or not students are allowed to carry concealed firearms? SCCC leader at VCU John Allen says no.

"The University should focus on preventing crimes on campus, not preventing students from defending themselves," said Allen. A hurdle in Allen's efforts is the fact of VCU specifically lies under Virginia law as a "gun free zone." In other words, no firearms are permitted on VCU property-period.

In 2006, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell said in an opinion piece that educational bodies had full discretion over the use of firearms by campus attendees. Allen feels that since universities have little jurisdiction over any of the other constitutional rights of students, they should have no say in legislation regarding the right to bear arms on campuses. "The [Second Amendment] applies everywhere in America," said Allen, "therefore, it is the right of the individual to protect himself on campus, just as he does everywhere else."

Allen said that the state should have full disclosure over carrying concealed weapons on campus property. "It just doesn't make sense to prohibit self-defense the minute you step across an imaginary line onto 'campus' property," said Allen. "Unless the university finds a way to monitor every entrance onto campus.there is no way for them to ensure safety."

The case at VCU is not the only larger university in Virginia to tinker with the idea of a SCCC group. About 130 miles northwest of VCU sits JMU. Daniel Dales had mixed feelings about becoming a SCCC leader on his campus, and even more about being the "lone shark" in creating what some view as a Charlton Heston fan club.

"Initially, I didn't think guns were the answer, in fact, I thought guns were dangerous and didn't have a place in the college community," said Dales. After many days of deliberation, he decided to take the initiative and found the organization present today at JMU. Surprising to Dales, the campus community supported him with one hundred members.

Just like VCU, Dales said JMU has its fair share of opposition towards firearms being on campus. "Last semester we received several letters through our newspaper from students expressing their concern for our organization. Additionally, I received numerous emails from faculty asking us to reconsider our views and not establish ourselves on campus. For a university which encourages students to express their beliefs, I found this quite appalling."

The majority of the opposition in the cases of Dales and Allen both stem from people who point to history; most notably, the tragedy at VT is often seen as the chief scenario. While Allen said the only way to prevent a horrific incident like what happened on April 16, 2007 is for universities to find "a way to monitor every entrance onto campus," Dales pointed to the college's weapon policy.

Currently, VT is under the same provisions as VCU and the majority of other Virginia campuses in regard to weapons on campus. "The Virginia Tech incident proves that a weapons policy, which does not allow permit holders to carry handguns concealed on campus, actually increased the vulnerability of victims." Dales believes that if the SCCC legislation were more openly supported, the chances of a repeat VT incident would be "significantly less."

However, questions remain when it comes to Dales' reasoning. Would the shooter at VT, Seung-Hui Cho, have changed his motives or method of attack if he knew other people were carrying concealed weapons? Responding "with equal force," according to Dales, is the most viable option to sway off an attacker. "The fact that students are taught to fight back by throwing textbooks is laudable," said Dales.

Dales said it is not fair licensees are "stripped" of their Second Amendment freedom once they lay foot on campus property. Only fifteen campuses in the United States allow permit holders to carry on campus, including Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, VA. "In the history of these schools.there have been zero incidents involving firearms," said Dales. While Dales' proof may be convincing to some, opposition groups stand firm in their respected beliefs against firearms on campus.