Ohio Rifleman
Member
Here it is:
Tell me what you think, and what I can improve on.
The weapons policy at Wright State University is irrational, foolhardy and dangerous. This is the policy that I took from the Student Handbook, word for word:
“4. B The use, possession, or carrying of weapons, including, but not limited to, pistols, rifles,
shotguns, airsoft guns, paintball guns, pellet guns, dangerous knives, ammunition, any
stun device, or other dangerous weapons is prohibited while on University owned
or
controlled property, or at University sponsored
or supervised activities, except by police
officers and other persons specifically authorized by the University.
5. B The use or possession of explosive devices, including, but not limited to pipe bombs,
bottle bombs, incendiary devices, smoke devices, fireworks and ammunition, are strictly
prohibited from all university owned
or controlled property, or at university sponsored
or
supervised activities except by university or other persons specifically authorized by the
University.”
And this is the policy at Virginia Tech, taken directly from their student handbook, also word for word:
“2.2 Prohibition of Weapons
The university’s employees, students, and volunteers, or any visitor or other third party attending a sporting,
entertainment, or educational event, or visiting an academic or administrative office building or residence hall, are
further prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any university facility, even if the
owner has a valid permit, when it is not required by the individual’s job, or in accordance with the relevant
University Student Life Policies.
Any such individual who is reported or discovered to possess a firearm or weapon on university property will be
asked to remove it immediately. Failure to comply may result in a student judicial referral and/or arrest, or an
employee disciplinary action and/or arrest.”
They both forbid students from having any kind of self-defense tool, even if one has a concealed carry permit, which allows the holder to carry many other places. This policy does not work, as we saw with the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April. All this policy does is make sure that law-abiding students are defenseless before a murderous lunatic.
My point is simple. Allow students, at the very least, to carry non-lethal stun devices, such as tasers and pepper spray, both of which are perfectly legal in the state of Ohio.
Holders of concealed carry permits in Ohio must be 21 years of age at least, have a clean criminal record, and must pass a firearms course. What possible harm could come from allowing these people to carry on campus?
Before the law allowing concealed carrying of handguns went into effect, many people thought this would lead to shootouts over parking spaces and the like. This has been proven utterly false. The law has been in effect for over a year, and nothing of the sort has happened.
Some may call me paranoid for wanting students to be allowed to have these tools on campus. I believe it is no more paranoid than wearing a seatbelt when you get into your car. Or, perhaps, keeping smoke alarms or fire extinguishers on hand. They are simply precautions taken if something bad happens, which likely will not. It is the same with carrying a self-defense tool such as a handgun or pepper spray.
Others might say that the police will protect you should something happen. The police could not save the 32 people murdered at Virginia Tech, nor the many others who were wounded by the attacker. Every time you hear of someone being attacked or murdered on the news, that is another instance in which the police could not save someone. The police perform a valuable service at Wright State, but they are not supermen. There is no guarantee that they will be there to save you.
I would rather depend on myself for my own safety, rather than a uniformed stranger.
In conclusion, Wright State’s draconian weapons policy should be changed immediately, and at the very least, allow students to carry non-lethal tools for self-defense such as pepper spray or stun guns.
Tell me what you think, and what I can improve on.
