Why NOT allow students with the legally required prerequists to carry a concealed firearm? That’s the real proof - where’s the evidence that this would cause problems.

No jurisdiction in the US that has passed “shall issue” legislation has seen an increase in violence or accidental shootings - in fact, the number of permits in these states revoked for misuse of a firearm (even just the mere threat of using it inappropriately) is absolutely miniscule. Some colleges and universities already allow concealed carry and have for some time; to the best of my knowledge, there has not been a single incident with a legally armed student in a classroom.

I was a police officer for 20 years; the attitude that “the police will protect you” is one of the silliest attitudes that has developed in our society. Much as the police WANT to protect you, they CAN’T. There just aren’t enough of us. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has ruled that police do not have a duty to protect people, just a general duty to enforce the law. That generally means cleaning up after the crime and trying to run down the bad guy. Too bad for the victims…

One of the saddest things I heard from the Virginia Tech shootings was the recording of one students words, caught on a cell phone. As the shooter reloaded in the middle of cowering students so he could finish killing the rest of them, one was heard saying “The police will be here soon, the police will be here soon, the police will be here soon…” Sitting there, saying that while the killer reloaded, and doing nothing to protect himself. So it just isn’t about the issue of allowing people the means to defend themselves; it’s about people learning to take responsibility for their own security and protection rather than assuming somebody else can and will do it for them.

I will not argue with Rick’s assumption that the police cannot protect us.
I’ve been in the business nearly 40 years and found that all too true.

Many of the young people on college campuses would be good citizens
carrying concealed, just as many other older adults in our society are
also responsible to do so.

There is no way to weed out the bad from the good. The only proof is
in the pudding.

In the state I live in now and 3 of the states I’ve lived in during those 40
years, it is illegal by state statute for anyone but a bonifide law
enforcement officer to carry concealed on any public property,, that
includes city owned and operated facilities, county owned and operated
facilities and state owned and operated facilities. I’m certain the
federal statutes read similarly. Having said all that, perhaps now is the
time for some of those outdated statutes to be changed.

If a bad guy doesn’t know you’re carrying concealed, he’ll be more
wary of whom he tries to take down and when they change those
statutes, they need to put some teeth in the ones they do have that
will not make the victim even more of a victim.

This topic is debated as much as the Intel vs AMD. In my opinion, allowing a registered concealed weapons permit holder to carry his sidearm on school is a valid argument. In many states the requirements to carry are not only steep but so are the consequences of the misuse. They are required to exercise restraint and caution but also required to show they can proper handle and fire their firearm. As a result, yes I do believe that the number of campus shootings would go down because their would be people properly trained in the operation of a firearm present. Think about it, many CC permit holders acquired their permits to “protect themselves and their families” so why wouldn’t that carry over into protecting themselves and their classmates.