I go to UT and I actually just emailed my school newspaper last week in response to a half page story they posted about campus carry. Most of the people they presented in the feature were anti-gun. Here is the email I sent:
I try to obey laws as best as I can, and no matter which way the bill goes I will follow it. However, this whole issue just seems very straight forward to me. If a good-hearted individual wants to take on the extra burden and responsibility to protect others and himself, then who are we to outlaw that? He will not be disrupting anyone or causing commotions, after all brandishing is still illegal. If one armed individual can make a crazed gunman duck his head down for even a single second, that's a single second that he doesn't spend killing and destroying. That one second could be the difference between life and death. I like to believe that most of the world is composed of inherently good people. It is very hard to classify just how "good" people are, so I will define good as someone who feels obligated to help a fellow human being in need. A popular movie, The Boondock Saints, has as very memorable quote, "We must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men." I disagree with this quote. I think we should still fear evil men most, but good men who are not indifferent should be rewarded, not punished along with the evil men. Those who look the other way aren't necessarily bad, but I wouldn't classify them as "good". They are your average person who just wants to get on with life and may not be physically or mentally able to help others in a life or death situation. It's not selfish, it's survival. That does not mean that good people shouldn't be allowed to help either, or have a hand tied behind their back while they attempt to save lives. Concealed carry is definitely not for everyone, but it is generally classified incorrectly. People dispute whether it should be a right or a privilege. It is in fact a responsibility. Taking the responsibility to handle, maintain, carry, and use a firearm effectively is no easy task, especially if you spend more time fearing the naive and scared than the bad guys.
But what if the person with the gun is one of the evil men, and not one of the good or indifferent? It is sad that there are people who want to harm others. We share this world with them and that will not change. Disallowing students and faculty to carry concealed weapons on campus, contrary to popular belief, most likely will not hinder these evil people. A handgun is generally made to be more compact and concealable than a rifle or a shotgun. For example, the full-size Glock model 17 handgun, which is chambered in the common 9x19mm round and commonly used by anti-gun advocates due to it's widely known presence and the harsh sounding "k" in its name, measures 7.32in. in length, 5.43in. in height, and 1.18in. in width*. It is generally considered too large for use as a concealed carry handgun, but many of these could easily be stored and transported in a common backpack. It could also be easily concealed within a winter coat. Regardless of the backwards world we live in, you cannot outlaw backpacks and coats. An evil individual can and will still have access to firearms on campus and wherever else he desires. The charges for capital murder are either life or death: life in prison or the death penalty. In a few cases, the ruling is life in a mental institute. The punishments stated in whichever laws disallowing weapons on campus pale in comparison to these. This is assuming that the offender will allow himself to be arrested and tried.
Many people feel that laws are a safety net that forms an invisible barrier to protect everyone, but this is skewed. Laws are designed to punish, not prevent. The individual will be hunted to the ends of the world (within extradition and convenience of course) and hopefully be brought to justice. But no law can stop a human being from committing heinous crimes against others. Only a fellow person can attempt to intervene. Yes, this is why we have our wonderful peace officers who work around the clock to protect us and do not receive a fraction of the appreciation they deserve, but there are simply not enough resources to assign a personal guard to every person. This is the essence of the concealed carry concept. This is a way everyone can be responsible for themselves and attempt to be adequately armed to defend themselves. Laws are useless without enforcers. Many of these concepts date back to the very foundation of this great nation (Second Amendment, anyone?). The idea of checks and balances, the legislative branch is just talk without the backing of the executive and judicial branch to enforce the laws. Just the same filters down to the street. Some say that allowing civilians to carry firearms will complicate things when law enforcement arrives. This is definitely a possible problem, and to me the only major issue worth debating. However, most people carry only a small, fully loaded pistol, and under stress, shots tend to be fired much quicker. There is a good chance that the altercation will be over by the time police arrive. And if not, then any law abiding citizen can just put his gun down and allow the police to take over. Granted, the real world is not this simple, but I would rather be detained by the police for a few hours for questioning than to get shot. Bottom line is, if a criminal has murdered me, I don't care what the laws say, I'm still dead.
*All measurements directly from manufacturer's website.
Did I write something wrong? They haven't responded back to me. I admit it probably wasn't as revised as it should have been...
