Essay Sample on Campus Carry Concealed Handgun Law

Introduction

The Texas legislature recently passed a bill that allows individuals licensed to carry a concealed gun in college campuses. The law comes with it zones designated as gun-free with certain sections of the public arguing that classes should be gun-free zones too. However, just like the attorney general for the state of Texas, I believe that designating classrooms as gun-free zones should not be allowed to happen because it would defeat the purpose and intent of the 'Campus Carry' law.

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Despite opposition from a faction of the society, this legislation should empower college campuses to make classrooms safer by allowing concealed guns to be carried into them. This is because students spend the better part of their day in classes. Allowing them to carry concealed weapons will help them feel safer for the majority of the time when they are attending their class lessons. The other reason that guns ought to be allowed in classrooms is because historical facts have shown incidences where lives have been lost in the classroom. Attaining a license to carry a concealed weapon in class will help avoid such past experiences by enabling the students to protect themselves if such incidences were to recur (Slotkin).

Designating classrooms as gun-free zones would be a mistake because previous research indicates that an increase in guns does not necessary translate to an increase in violence. The past four decades show a decrease in gun-related violence while the number of gun owners has increased. As much as campus colleges have their own security arrangements, we have to admit that the campus police can secure the outside environment but not the environment inside the classroom. Carrying a concealed gun can save lives if the threat to said lives is inside the classroom in the absence of the campus security.

The legislature passed to legalize the 'campus carry' gun laws is a state law that is applicable all over Texas. As such, students should be treated like other citizens where their rights are upheld and respected. Their rights as enshrined in the Second Amendment ought to be observed where they are given the right to bear concealed firearms even within the classroom set up. Being a student inside a class does not make them any lesser citizens. The guns should be allowed in classrooms instead of designating the learning spaces as gun-free zones because guns do not affect the students' learning process (Watkins). They are not a distraction to students as they do not interfere with the studying taking place within the walls of the classroom. Supporters of the law to carry a concealed weapon argue that students are calm in the knowledge of the safety brought about by the concealed guns which helps them to concentrate better.

In addition, the safety of the guns that have been licensed to be carried within the classroom lies in the fact that they are concealed. No one should know that the licensee is in possession of the gun because they will have put it in a concealed place. This eliminates the safety concerns that someone else may be able to reach the gun to commit violent atrocities with the gun.

Conclusion

The idea to designate certain places within college campus as gun-free zones as established under the recently passed law is a commendable one. However, this idea should not allow college presidents to designate classrooms as gun-free zones because the safety of the students within the class is of paramount importance.

Works Cited

Slotkin, Jason. "50 Years After Texas College Shooting, 'Campus-Carry' Becomes Law." National Public Radio 1 August 2016. Electronic.

Watkins, Matthew. "Most community colleges won't ban guns in classrooms with minors." The Texas Tribune 2 March 2017. Online.