Vanguard

Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: News

After recent high-profile campus shootings, students across America have been wearing empty gun holsters to protest laws that prohibit concealed weapons on campus.
The protest was launched by a group of college students, parents and citizens who organized after the shootings at Virginia Tech. The group goes by the name Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. Some backers of the protest say the Second Amendment right to bear arms give students the right to carry concealed weapons on campuses across the country.
While at least 15 students wore the holsters at Ohio State University, 12 students at the University of Idaho chose to wear empty holsters. The SCCC group hopes to have thousands of students participating in the protest in the next couple of weeks.
Some students at the Seattle Pacific University participated in the protest. One student believes many students are left vulnerable because of the laws prohibiting concealed weapons on campuses. "People who would otherwise be able to defend themselves are left defenseless when on campus," said Ethan Bratt.
An Ohio State student believes guns would stop violence. "There have been cases where people have been assaulted at bus stops simply because, uh, alright, the meter police car just passed, and he's not going to be back here for 20 or 30 minutes, and I know that guy standing over there alone can't have a weapon, because he's on campus," said Evan Peck, the president of Ohio State University Pistol Club.
George Mason University's head of SCCC, Andrew Dysart, believe the campuses that are labeled as "gun-free zones" are inviting campus massacres. "You wonder how much it plays into people's minds that they know students don't have any weapons," Dysart said.
George Mason University prohibits carrying concealed handguns on campus for safety reasons. "We do not allow weapons on campus for the safety and security of our student body and faculty," said Tracy Schario, spokeswoman for GMU.
Not everyone on campuses agree that concealed weapons should be legal on campus. Michael Barrett, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Ashland University, was a police officer for 25 years, and he believes carrying a gun offers a false sense of security. "I just think people say, oh, I have a gun, I'm safe, and that's not true; often times the gun is used against the victim," said Barrett.
Cleveland State University student Jasmine Onunwor worries that students would not be responsible gun holders. "Some people like to show their weapons, like it's cute. I just don't think it's right."

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