Five-state universities allow students to carry guns, making teachers uneasy

Five-state universities allow students to carry guns, making teachers uneasy. There are currently 5 states in which public universities allow students to bring guns to campus according to law, an increase of 4 states from more than two years ago. Many university teachers...

There are currently 5 states in which public universities allow students to bring guns to campus by law, an increase of 4 states from more than two years ago. Many university teachers feel uneasy and fearful about this phenomenon. Many American universities have long been allowed to decide for themselves whether to allow students to bring guns to campus, and many still prohibit students from carrying guns. However, the massacre at Virginia Tech in 2007 gave impetus to student gun rights. Supporters used court rulings and state government bills to expand gun rights for students at public universities. Rights activists argued that if students had guns, they could prevent Cho Seung-hee from going on a rampage. On April 16, 2007, a horrific incident occurred at Virginia Polytechnic Institute where the Korean murderer Cho Seung-hee shot and killed 32 teachers and students indiscriminately.

Currently, 24 states in the United States allow each university to decide whether to prohibit students from carrying guns, and 21 states have laws that explicitly prohibit students from "not carrying guns openly". But that's all changing. In the past two years, about 25 states have introduced bills that would allow college students to carry some form of concealed firearm. Proponents often point to the Virginia Tech massacre as a legitimate reason why students should be allowed to own guns. While carrying guns makes some students feel safe, many University of Colorado faculty feel uneasy and fearful. They said that universities are "free and open places" where they can speak freely and even raise controversial opinions, but allowing students to own guns will create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. In this state, although the House of Representatives passed a bill allowing students to carry guns at the beginning of this year, it failed because the governor refused to sign it.