Jimi L.

Norwood III

Public Argument Letter

English 1102

May 10, 2011

Dear David Burnett,

I am aware of the dilemma you currently face in your position on the issue at hand.

Gun control is a serious matter when living in such a violent society. There have recently

been debates over the right for students to carry concealed weapons on college campuses,

and this debate has much merit. It appears that we differ in opinions on this matter, being

that you are fighting towards lifting the ban of concealed weapons on college campuses. I

myself being a college student am directly submerged in the environment that you and I

would like to keep safe , but I do not agree with allowing concealed weapons on college

campus.

College campuses are very complex environments. They are intended to be places of

growth for young adults transitioning into the “real world”. Transitions are normally

unstable. Therefore people whom are transitioning are often unstable. I myself am a college

student and I can attest for my own instabilities, as well as for the instabilities of my peers,

who also struggle to stay afloat in this environment. There are multiple factors that

contribute to the instability of a college campus: the pressures of getting good grades to

achieve certain life goals, the effects of immature sexual relationships, the extreme

amounts of alcohol consumption by college students, just to name a few.

 If guns were allowed on campuses there would be newly developed tensions within

the classrooms. Gun concealing students could potentially intimidate professors who may

not be used to guns, and not to mention gun toting professors who may attempt to be more

authoritative knowing that they are protected by their gun. Classroom violence may be the

least of worries if guns were to be allowed on college campuses.

Young people and their immature relationships can often lead to pain and anger

which lead individuals to act hastily against their ex-partners or others involved in the

breakup. If someone is hurt and they have access to a gun they are more likely to shoot

someone than if they did not have a gun. So allowing guns on college campuses opens up

the door to an increased rate of crimes related to passion. College campuses are places

where many mistakes happen.

These mistakes can often be attributed to extreme amounts of alcohol consumed by

college students. In recent news a young women was shot killed at a fraternity party by a

fellow student who had been drinking. The victim was accidentally shot in the chest by an

AK-47 assault rifle (FSView). Statistics show that 31 % of college students met criteria for

diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6 percent for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the past

12 months(College Drinking). Further statistical research shows that in 2009, 696,000

students between the ages of 18 and 24 were assaulted by another student who had been

drinking. If guns were allowed to be concealed on college campuses my guess is that some

of these assaults may have escalated into gun violence. This ultimately makes college

campuses more unsafe. Other opponents of campus gun rights say students and faculty
would live in fear of their classmates and colleagues, not know who might pull a gun over a

poor grade, a broken relationship, or a drunken fraternity argument (CBS News).

Proponents of concealed carry on campus argue that their issue is strictly a matter

of self defense (CBS News). Republican Texas state Senator Jeff Wentworth states “I don’t

ever want to see repeated on a Texas campus what happened at Virginia Tech, where some

deranged, suicidal madman goes into a building and is able to pick of totally defenseless

kids like sitting ducks.” The senator speaks as if the Virginia Tech incident was not an

extremely rare occurrence. Until the Virginia Tech incident, the worst college shooting in

U.S. history occurred at the University of Texas, when sniper Charles Whitman went a top

of the administration tower in 1966 and killed 16 people and wounded dozens of others.

Violent incidents of these magnitudes are few and far in between, and do not call for

extreme resolutions such as those posed by you and others who share the same opinion.

If guns were allowed to be concealed on campuses then there would have been a

shootout on the day of the Virginia Tech Shooting, and there could have potentially been

more people shot in the crossfire, especially when the people behind the triggers are not

specially trained shooters. Allowing guns to be concealed on campus could potentially

create a miniature battlefield. College campuses are often separated into cliques, whether

the separation is according to organization, race, or classification; individuals feel the need

to be supported and to support other individuals. If guns were allowed on college

campuses and an individual within in one of these cliques were to become a victim of gun

violence at the hands of a member of another clique this could potentially create an

environment similar to gang violence. Gang violence is rooted on retaliation and if

something were to occur between cliques on a college campus it could potentially carry on

for years on that campus, even amongst members who were not in the group when the

incident occured. Allowing concealed carry would increase the potential for rival cliques on

college campuses. Proponents for concealed carry argue that getting rid of the ban on

concealed weapons would ultimately make campuses safer, I oppose that and so do many

aware school officials. University of Texas President William Powers said the mix of

students, guns, and campus parties is too volatile (CBS News). Oklahoma Chancellor of

Higher Education, Glen Johnson said “There is no scenario where allowing concealed

weapons on college campuses will do anything other than create a more dangerous

environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors.”

If we are to truly make college campuses feel safer then we must do something

tangible to make them safer. To make campuses safer we will need to employ more trained

security or increase the presence of campus police. We do not need students with guns to

act as vigilantes saving their college campus. The purpose of this letter is not to degrade

your opinion, but to shed light on an important issue with the potential for unnecessary

dangers. Please consider the statements made in any of your further actions, as your

individual actions affect the lives of many. I do thank you for your time and I hope this

issue’s conclusion proves beneficial to all parties involved.

Sincerely,

Jimi L. Norwood
 Works Cited

Hume, Jerry. "Father of Slain FSU Student Speaks out - WTXL ABC 27." Home - WTXL ABC 27. Web. 5 Mar.

2011. <http://www.wtxl.com/content/flpolitics/story/Father-of-slain-FSU-student-speaks-

out/Xi9HgPDlWUaepm2_5ryrCA.cspx>.

Rodriguez, Anna Rebecca. "FSU Parent Speaks out against Gun Legislation | Fsunews.com." FSView & Florida

Flambeau. Web. 5 Mar. 2011. <http://fsunews.com/article/20110303/FSVIEW/110302031/FSU-parent-

speaks-out-against-gun-legislation>.

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus - ConcealedCampus.com. Web. 1 Mar. 2011.

<http://www.concealedcampus.org/>.

The Associated Press (AP). "Texas Set to Allow Guns on College Campuses - CBS News." Breaking News

Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. Web. 11 Mar. 2011.

<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/21/national/main20034291.shtml>.

Why Gun Free Kids? | Gun Free Kids. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.gunfreekids.org/>.