Campus gun idea gets mixed reaction

Posted by Ross Arrowsmith on Thursday, February 4th 2010 under School/Campus Violence

As the debate heats up on whether to allow guns on university and community college campuses, some students and faculty members at University of Arizona South shared their thoughts Wednesday.

Associated Students of the University of Arizona South have not researched or discussed the issue enough to take an official stance, President Andrés Gabaldón said. “But personally, I don’t think guns solve any problems in our society.”

Speaking only as an individual student, Gabaldón would not feel safer knowing faculty members with permits could carry concealed weapons, he said. “I have been seeing a trend for more guns in more places within our society, and to bring them into an academic setting, I don’t think that’s the right choice.

“We just have to trust the people we elect, and I hope they make the right choice for all the people in Arizona.”

Having guns on the UA main campus would be a bad idea, but it could be appropriate for some rural campuses that do not have a dedicated police force or armed security guards, said Holly Haygens, executive vice president of the student association. Though she personally would prefer faculty members not to carry guns on campus, looking back at recent shootings, she can understand why they might want to.

In 2002, a student who was flunking out of the nursing school at the UA shot and killed three of his professors before taking his own life. Haygens also pointed to the tragedies at Virginia Tech and Columbine.

“There’s always going to be those few people and there’s a chance that a faculty member with a gun could stop it, but there’s a chance that they could end up being one of those people, too,” Haygens said. She would expect faculty members to be responsible and not broadcast the fact they have a weapon.

She also thinks the bill could open the door to future legislation allowing all staff members or even students to be able to carry guns on campus, Haygens said. She does not believe students should be able to carry a gun on any campus.

Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, crafted Senate Bill 1011, saying he believes an armed teacher would be the first line of defense for students and others.

Harper said just removing the prohibition on guns on campuses would itself be a deterrent to someone considering shooting up a classroom.

The bill could provide some protection but it also could open the possibility of teachers misreading a situation and overreacting with potentially deadly force, said Li Xu, professor of computer science at UA South.

“I would prefer a nongun campus,” Xu said.

UA South student Brian Bussey does not feel strongly either way but thinks gun toting teachers should be required to go through more training than what is required to get a concealed weapon permit.

“A weapon is no good unless a person knows how to use it,” he said. “If they freeze up and end up shooting themselves in the foot trying to pull out the weapon, what good is that?”

Bussey would like teachers to know not just how to pull the trigger but how to use that weapon effectively and confidently, he said. They should be required to take the training again every six months or so, in order to make sure the knowledge is fresh when they need it.