Like every topic, there are pros and cons. Concealed carry on campus is just another example of this. Like with any prevalent issue, it’s important to look at both sides and weigh them out for yourself. Before arguing that concealed carry on campus would result in more gun violence in colleges, I think it’s important to know the process behind legal authorization of a citizen to own a concealed carry. It is equally important to understand the stance of the pro-concealed carry group. Almost every state, if they don’t already ban concealed carry, requires an application to be approved by the Department of Justice.

In the application, there are many different steps, along with a $40 fee. One must also show proof of Wisconsin residency, current Wisconsin driver’s license and acceptable proof of training. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, a resident must be 21. The application goes through training requirements of possible firearm safety courses or military issued documents that can be accepted. Following, is applicant information and a series of questions regarding criminal history. Then, there is a portion concerning the statutes on places that the carrying of weapon is prohibited, and finally Wisconsin’s Self-Defense Laws. There must be three signatures throughout the application binding any citizen to the understanding of these laws and statutes. It is up to the Department of Justice to decline or approve the license.

Within the last couple of years, both, a pro and con group for the issue have emerged.  The official pro-concealed carry organization specifically geared towards college students is called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. They have plenty to say about why this issue is so prevalent today. According to concealedcampus.org, the organization is student-run, national, and non-partisan, advocating for legal concealed carry on campuses in the United States as an effective means of self-defense.

In my opinion, one of the most prevailing arguments that organizations like SCCC has, is the idea that we can’t plan for emergencies to happen. This specific organization argues that we should be prepared and not paranoid, self defense is a human right, and feeling safe doesn’t equal being safe. Much of these assertions can be related to by collegiate students and staff, especially in concern with the most recent college shooting in Oregon.

School shootings, though unbearably painful to talk about, are a very real issue. A spokesperson for SCCC pleads that, “Denying licensed individuals the means to defend themselves on college campuses turns institutions of higher learning into supermarkets for would-be. . . mass murderers. . . In the event of a school shooting, students and faculty are left with no recourse but to hide under their desks, hoping to survive until enough police arrive to formulate a plan and storm the building.”

There’s validity in the hopelessness that students, staff and parents have in these situations. I think it’s very possible that a concealed carry, to many students and staff, would provide relief considering the raise of on campus violence throughout the years. Just knowing that you’re protected by carrying a concealed weapon, may just be reassurance if, perhaps, there would ever be an event of such hopelessness.