Soon Texas will be the second state to allow concealed firearms on college campuses, the first state to allow such a broad protection if gun rights, is Utah.
"Utah state law clearly states that a person may not possess a dangerous weapon, firearm, or sawed-off shot gun on school premises" said Sgt Justin Sprague of the Utah Valley University Police.
The exception comes into play where the person is authorized to carry legally concealed.
Many colleges in the state of Utah except for BYU are public funded; this means the college must comply with the laws set forth by the state and legislature. Especially in regards to concealed carry rights.Currently BYU is the only school in Utah where it is a violation of law to carry any weapon on or within a certain distance of school grounds.
"Whatever the case may be, the only thing that can stop a shooter is someone with a gun, or some people with a lot of guns to rush that person," stated Jacob Partridge a student at UVU.
Many students and the more liberal conservative public would agree with Partridge. Utah State University attempted to overturn the law passed in Utah allowing concealed weapons on colleges but they were shot down by the Supreme Court.
Something that causes a little unrest in the state though are the public that choose to open carry, which is legal in most places within the state of Utah. However, the visual aspect may bring unwanted confrontation to the carrier according to Partridge.
"I know a lot of people in Utah County like to open carry, which I'm totally against. I think carry concealed is important for many reasons," says Partridge.
Jessica Broderick another student at UVU came from Oregon a state that does allowed concealed carry, but not on any college campuses.
"We have advanced past the days of the old west, I feel it is a right for those legal citizens to have weapons but to expose them like we are old cowboys in the dust and dirt is ridiculous," said Broderick.
It seems many students are fine with the idea of guns at school they just choose not seeing them.
If everyone carried a concealed weapon, there would be less crimes committed of the current sort. What may occur, however, is an increase of 'crimes of passion'. What would have been a forgettable bout of pugilism could easily turn into a permanent repercussions shoot-out. The unfortunate fact of this (where you live pending, I suppose) is that gangs are doing the same thing on the streets anyhow, but not in an 'everyone's got one' sort of way. Of course, we could always take our problems to Boston where, as long as the governor is present, it is still legal (on the books anyhow) to have a pistol duel to the death on Sundays on the common.
ReplyDelete