This post was written by a friend of mine; Kyle is a student, a gun enthusiast, and an Air Force Veteran in his late 20’s. I read his post and thought it provided an insight into the thoughts of a student sitting in a “gun free zone”, but through the eyes of a more mature person that has real world experiences and knows that Evil does exist.
Fear, safety, and firearms
I am sitting in a lecture hall wondering how I would feel if my professor had a concealed firearm. How would I know? Let’s consider the case where I am aware that this particular professor exercises his responsibility to defend his life and the life of the students in this lecture hall. Let’s consider that he has a concealed handgun. Does this make me uncomfortable? Does it change the way I would approach him to ask him a question? Does it make me afraid or more secure? I look at the hall doors and realize that it is highly unlikely the professor is armed, and there likely exists a policy restricting him from carrying a firearm. I think about the criminals who have executed shooting sprees here, in America, even here at Virginia Tech. I think about how I am unprepared, as my 2nd amendment rights are restricted on campus.
There is nothing special about the hall I am seated in which excludes it from the other places where shooters have struck. In fact, it has something in common with all those places – the occupants are unprepared and in a collective state of false security or indifference. This makes me uneasy, that in this society, we don’t acknowledge and mitigate the threats within.
It is more common in America to rationalize in response to our fear, rather than to analyze and prepare for threats which generate it. It is commonly assumed “unlikely” that a shooter will strike in our current location, therefore we assume it not necessary to prepare or conern. It is common to transfer the responsbiity of our fear to administrators and policy makers. Among policy makers, there is a larger fear that allowing individuals to be prepared would lead to more violence. Is this a correct assumption? Does carrying a firearm compel a person to commit a violent act?
Do guns CAUSE crime? Or do violent criminals choose to use guns? If you outlaw the gun, do you take away the criminal? Does this stop crime? Will outlawing or restricting guns stop the motive that compels violent criminals? These are important questions we must ask ourselves before letting our fear drive our opinions on gun control.
Look around you the next time you are in a public place and ask yourself, what would happen to me if a violent shooter stuck here? Would restricting/outlawing guns make me safer? Would allowing the staff and citizens around me to conceal carry make me safer? How far away is the nearest Law Enforcement Officer? How long would it take for them to respond? Would I still be alive when they get here? Who’s responsibility is it to protect my existence?