States look at gun policies, debate on-campus weapon carry

A great deal of evaluation, and even second-guessing, have been going on concerning the events of April 16. Governor Tim Kaine created a panel to assess the events and the response and make recommendations on policies that will hopefully avert another incidence. 

One of the measures under consideration is a proposal to lift a ban on concealed-carry firearms on Virginia college and university campuses, according to a report from The Associated Press.

While voicing little support for the notion, the governor has left the decision in the hands of executives of Virginia’s publicly-funded universities and colleges, according to the report.

Other states are taking the matter further.

In South Carolina a bill has recently emerged from committee in the state legislature that would allow adult permit holders to carry concealed handguns on public school campuses, from elementary to collegiate level.

A compromise proposal would limit the possession to a person’s vehicle.

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence president Paul Helmke, in a telephone interview, voiced serious concerns regarding the proposals in both Virginia and South Carolina.

“Of course we feel the more guns will only make the situation worse. Everyone wishes there was some kind of James Bond or John Wayne character to save the day,” Helmke said. “But in reality, students carrying guns only makes it more likely that they will be stolen, misused, accidentally discharged or used to commit crimes or suicide.”

However, Clemson University and several other South Carolina colleges’ and universities’ police departments have come out strongly against the new bill.

Area residents and Tech students seemed to take a mixed view of the proposal.

James Argabright, a Blacksburg resident, is skeptical of the idea of letting students come to campus carrying firearms.

“I can see allowing students to own weapons, or even handguns,” he said. “They can keep them in their vehicles or in their dorm rooms in some kind of lockable case. But letting them carry them to class or to social gatherings will have a lot of harmful unintended consequences.”

Kris Wiedegreen, a Tech alumnae, is worried about escalating violence from guns on campus.

“I think that guns in the classroom is a terrible idea,” Wiedegreen said. “It’s just throwing more fuel on the fire. If students can carry handguns on campus, any confrontation has the potential to turn into a fatal shooting.”

Other students argued that law-abiding people deserve the right to defend themselves in life-threatening situations.

“A person who’s been deemed responsible to carry a handgun should be allowed to do that anywhere. There’s no reason to make an artificial distinction between the public space and a university campus. CHP holders are not the bad guys, they are not the people we have to worry about,” said Jonathan McGlumphy, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, and member of the Virginia Citizens Defense League.

“Self defense is a fundamental human right. I think the fact that Cho’s victims were completely disarmed by university guarantees that they were easy targets,” McGlumphy said.

The issue of armed students seems to be one that splits the Tech and Blacksburg community, with no resolution in sight.

The South Carolina bill has been sent back to legislative conference, effectively killing it at least until the next legislative session.