Carry on Campus?
The topic of gun control has been a debated topic for the past couple years. This topic is one that has only grew as time has passed. Liberals and conservatives have two completely different opinions on this matter which has caused an uproar of debates. Many of these debates have been expressed through articles like the two that I am comparing and contrasting in this blog about conceal and carry on college campuses.
The first article that I read was Opinion: College campuses are no place for conceal and carry by: Alex Castle. This article was very evidently written in a very liberal state of mind. One could see this tone from the title alone. The other article i read on this was Campus conceal and carry: Unwise or Safe? This article by Kenean Bekele had much more of a conservative tone to the topic encouraging that it may be more safe than unwise to carry on college campuses.
These two articles are arguing this matter from two different points of views they do have similarities in their arguments, along with differences. The one overwhelming similarity between these two perspectives, is that each side agrees that there is a problem. They both are in agreement that college campuses are not as safe as they should be. Castle writes in the first article “As public mass shootings become more prevalent in the United States, the current debate has been cast in the direction of our schools and universities.” Where we begin to see the differing argument in these two cases are when we begin to look at weather or not allowing the people to carry a gun to be able to defend themselves is a wise idea. Bekele states “With the bright red line through the image of a gun, the attacker is well aware that no one will be able to defend themselves.” To counter this argument in Castles argument he states “More harm than good stands to result from such an O.K. Corral-style firefight between untrained intellectuals and an active shooter.” This is a definite problem that needs to be handled, and in my opinion both articles had some really good points on this topic of conceal and carry on college campuses. I believe what it comes down to is perspective on the matter. We as Christians need to see perspective in this debate, and come at it with the power of prayer. Perhaps we should leave it to the authorities and let the professionals do what they want to do. The other approach is to let people who want to carry a gun carry a gun, and allow these campuses to be a free gun zone. A way to see perspective in the situation would be to have the authorities have a class on campus of gun safety, and how to properly use the weapon. By doing this we knock out two birds with one stone. The people who want to have guns on campus will have to go through extensive training, and after that they will be permitted to act in a situation that calls for it. People who don’t agree to this course will not be able to carry on the campus. I’m not saying this is the answer, but what I am saying is there is a solution when the two sides see both perspectives. The problem is agreed upon, college campuses are dangerous! Lets come together and solve this problem.
Work Cited
Progress, Eastern. “Opinion: College Campuses Are No Place for Conceal and Carry.” Medium, Augmenting Humanity, 10 Apr. 2018, medium.com/@progress_24193/college-campuses-are-no-place-for-conceal-and-carry-ad3125643a9b.
Bekele, Kenean. “Campus Conceal Carry: Unwise or Safe? — Kenean Bekele — Medium.” Medium, Augmenting Humanity, 1 Oct. 2017, medium.com/@keneanbekele/campus-conceal-carry-unwise-or-safe-dd417dce7776.
