Students advocate for gun carry rights

Five years ago, in the aftermath of the tragic shooting at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, the student movement for the right to carry concealed firearms began in universities across the country.

Helping introduce new gun rights legislation in 15 states, the student organization Students for Concealed Carry on Campus represents one side of the issue of student safety.

With chapters on multiple campuses and an estimated 24,000 students (according to the organization’s Facebook page), faculty and parents to back them up, the SCCC is pushing for state law to allow the carrying of concealed firearms and for a lightening of university policy to allow students to participate in that right while on campus.

The SCCC’s two-part mission includes sending a message about the importance of guns in maintaining campus safety.

IU has a chapter, which claims gun-free zones serve to disarm only law-abiding citizens who might be able to mitigate such tragedies as school shootings
and violence.

Lindsey Ferguson, an IU junior and officer in the IU SCCC, said the zones increase the risk of violence.

“(Restrictions) to the rights of law-abiding citizens are paving the way for people who don’t care about the law to take advantage of the lack of protection,” Ferguson said.

Even if the SCCC is able to persuade the state legislature to pass a legalization for licensed gun owners, school policy could remain an issue.

This happened in Wisconsin when the state legalized campus carry and the University of Wisconsin-Madison banned guns on campus.

IU also has a stringent total firearms and weapons prohibition extending to both students and faculty. If a faculty member is found with a concealed firearm, they are subject to immediate dismissal.

IU’s legal charter reads, “A safe and secure environment is a fundamental prerequisite for fulfilling the University mission of teaching, research, and public service. IU is committed to maintaining a workplace that is free of violence.”

IU Police Department Lt. Craig Munroe said he supports the school’s ban.

“I believe institutions have the right to restrict the presence of weapons,” Munroe said. “It’s my job to protect rights, not judge them.”

Having met this resistance in campuses nationwide, the SCCC has organized students and faculty in “empty holster protests” in which activists wear empty holsters to represent their lack of protection.

At these events, the group leaders argue there are misconceptions about carrying concealed firearms.

The focus at these events is to make evident the inequity of power between criminals
and citizens.

The SCCC’s campaign slogans, such as “Attention criminals, Gun Free Zone, All Law-Abiding, Faculty, Staff, and Students of this Institution have been Disarmed for Your Convenience,” sums up its intent best.

Ferguson said the SCCC hopes as the issue gains traction in communities around the country, people will make more informed decisions.

“I understand that there are a lot of people who are not aware of the issue, and the first step is opening up and talking about it,” Ferguson said.

The group has met opposition beyond school policy, as well. Students Against Guns in Education has spoken out against the SCCC.

SAGE, which formed at the University of Arizona, has a similar mission to the SCCC in fostering the public’s education of weapons issues.

However, SAGE claims guns will bring more harm than good in the educational system.

Ferguson said he could understand the critics’ concerns, but he said they weren’t
realistic.

“There have been 126-plus combined semesters on college campuses which allow concealed carry,” Ferguson said. “There have been no incidents.”

In an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Colin Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting, said he found the implication that guns might have lowered the death toll at Virginia Tech “offensive.” He said the only way to prevent violence is by pro-actively making obtaining a gun license more difficult.

Methods to do so include stricter licensing, mental-health checks and improved campus security and emergency planning, he said.

The SCCC agrees proactive measures should be taken, yet these measures can only go so far, Ferguson said.

“IU does a good job of offering counseling and psychological services,” Ferguson said. “However, they cannot cover all cases, and there will always be the risk (of violence).”