No guns on campus

Dear Chase Cooper,\nI noticed in your article “Ban gun bans” (IDS Feb. 26) you have showed lots of passion towards the safety of the students on college campuses. I do not agree that college campuses would be much safer if the law was passed to allow teachers and students to bear firearms while on campus. In my opinion, that is foolish. It remains a bad solution because of what it does to the original nature of the campus and to the relationships of the members of the campus community. As expected, a university campus is a special place to be, and it requires a special kind of understanding from all who seek to benefit from their affiliation with it. A university is a community of people who come together for a common purpose, which is to seek knowledge and the best ideas through reason and communication. People have to be able to disagree in a rational and civil way in order for the very best ideas to survive and not violently be acted upon if the opposing person simply doesn’t agree or feels as if he or she is mentally attacked. It is difficult enough to maintain order in a rowdy community. Our residence hall staff members already have their hands full with people who are not used to sharing space in a community setting. On top of that, our campus police are already on high alert when patrolling the campus at night or during large events. In my opinion, I would emphasize that, in an armed campus society, faculty will become more afraid. Housing staff will be less inclined to confront behavior. Students and police are more likely to have their hands poised on their weapons in any questionable situation. The addition of weapons into the campus community is like a catalyst in a chemical reaction. It changes everything.