CWP on Campus

With the echo of gunfire still ringing fresh and the potent carbon smell of gunpowder bombarding the senses of NIU students, many questions flood the minds of college students across the nation. Why did this happen? What kind of person would kill? How can we help the friends of our fallen brethren? How can we stop this from happening again?

This final question is one that has coursed through the veins of our modern society many times as every couple of years seems to bring another round of violence to academic institutions. Colleges across the nation have taken many steps to prevent campus attacks and every one has brought about greater safety. It has now come to the point where the power of the institution has reached its limits and to enhance safety, a decision must be made that marches into the realm of controversy.

Once the emotions of tragedy have subsided, cooler heads must decide what is to be done. Should the tyranny of the status quo be maintained or should new measures be taken? Perhaps, the ability for students and staff to protect themselves should be reinstated.

The idea of firearm ownership itself is controversial but it is not any more controversial than the current decisions to leave members of the College defenseless in times of tragedy. The College of Charleston is set in a distinctly urban environment that poses unique problems and requires unique solutions. Set less than 10 miles from North Charleston, the 7th most dangerous city in the country and containing more than 100 different buildings, even the ever-present Public Safety is not up to the task of guaranteeing student's safety. If an organization (whether it is the state, a school or private organization) cannot guarantee the safety of those within their jurisdiction then it is immoral to take away a person's means of defending themselves.

It is impossible to imagine what could have happened during past tragedies if faculty had been able to defend themselves and students against the ruthless actions of unstable individuals. If Professor Bishop of Virginia Tech had a weapon maybe some students would be alive, instead they were all barricaded inside of a building, defenseless and at the mercy of Seung-Hui Cho. If Juliana Gehant, a trained 12-year Army veteran, had been armed she may have stopped Steven Kazmierczak from taking so many lives at Northern Illinois University. Instead, the students at NIU were forced to rely on an Illinois state-wide ban on loaded firearms which failed as a deterrent to tragedy.

University's can take greater steps to protect their students without increasing costs or sacrificing the educational nature of college. The academic world can simply allow a staff member, who is qualified and willing, to carry a firearm in a concealed manner with a state issued concealed weapons permit (CWP). Firearms on campus are already allowed under South Carolina law with the permission "of the authorities in charge of the premises." A program could be easily developed where professors could voluntarily carry a weapon, register that weapon with the administration and agree to follow strict guidelines such as keeping the firearm concealed at all times.

In order to maintain and improve the safety of university's across the country the discussion must venture into the controversial. That is what universities are all about, discussing and debating unpopular opinions so that we can sort out emotion from the practical. Tough questions must be asked and even tougher decisions must be made. Students and staff alike must be ever vigilant against those who attempt to take advantage of these centers of learning, and that very vigilance requires us to not rely on ineffective legislation instead of physical means of self-protection.