Campus concealed carry promotes safety

Students across the nation will be seen carrying empty gun holsters this week in support of the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment. The goal is to gain support from university administrators in hopes that some day registered and trained persons will be able to carry guns on campus. This message especially rings true for Virginia Tech who, until April 17 prided themselves as a gun free school.

Second-year mechanical engineering student, Michael Flitcraft is leading the rally for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus at the University of Cincinnati. He was recently interviewed on 700 WLW with Mike McConnell about the issue of carrying handguns on campus. Flitcraft also had the opportunity to share his opinion on WKRC channel 12. This issue is receiving attention nationwide and maybe it is an opportunity for our school to prevent more crime in the future.

This is not a careless movement in which the government is just handing out guns to people of age, but it could be an answer to protecting ourselves on and off campus. "I had to go through a training course, qualify on a shooting range, complete a background check, give my fingerprints, they also took a photograph," said Flitcraft. "After I met the criteria the Sheriff's Department went ahead and gave me a license to carry."

Unfortunately the weather this week has been less than cooperative for getting the word out about SCCC, though an empty holster should raise some eyebrows and well as attention.

"I had a few people give me funny looks while I was wearing the holster, but I have also had a phone call from a student who wanted a holster so he could participate," said Flitcraft. "I've personally had shipments sent to me of peoples old holsters who didnít have a need for them any more; they just wanted to donate them to the cause."

UC would not be the first school to allow students to carry guns. All state-run colleges and universities in Utah allow their students to carry guns if licensed and the school allows them. It is legal to conceal and carry a gun in the state so why not in a state-sponsored school? The same also applies to Colorado State. Colorado allows the school to make the decisions whether or not to allow students to carry handguns, according to Flitcraft. If you look at Utah they haven't had any instances as of yet, neither has Colorado State, said Flitcraft. If the concept of no one having guns worked, then the Chicago Police Department wouldn't have a need for guns either.

Virginia is a state that allows the schools to make the decisions about gun control on campus. However, Virginia Tech was very proud of the fact that they didn't allow any concealed carry holders carry on campus, according to Flitcraft. It is obvious that that hindsight is 20/20 but 19 of the victims were of age to have a concealed carry permit, two of them were registered to carry, and one of the victims was a competition shooter. But, because of school policies, no guns were allowed on campus according to Flitcraft. The outcome may have been the same that day but it could have dissuaded Seung-Hui Cho to commit the crime at all if he knew that other students may have had guns on them too.

All Americans age 21 and older have the right to bear arms. And if Americans want to be allowed to carry guns on state-sponsored campuses then it seems like the answers has already been laid out for us in the Second Amendment. The power remains in the hands of the American people and sometimes we really need and want to be heard. If they can't protect us then we should at least have the right to protect ourselves.