Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

[The GIGGAS]

http://www.thecampusword.com/content/view/2267/591/

I found the article interesting.

[Double Eights]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

Of course they aren't safer.

It's too easy to get onto a college campus right now. There are no metal detectors at my college, and only like four "public safety" officers --who sit in their office and play cards all day-- that are in charge of keeping everyone safe.

Until you let the students/faculty carry firearms to protect themselves, or put metal detectors at every entrance, things will never been 100% safe.

[SPTO]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

Until you let the students/faculty carry firearms to protect themselves, or put metal detectors at every entrance, things will never been 100% safe.

Um, yeah, giving students and faculty firearms is really going to make it safer. That's just crazy. I mean there could be a kid lurking around with a screw loose in his head and BOOM! the school would be criticized forever for giving out guns to everyone.

That idea isn't going to work. I will agree with the metal detector idea though.

[Cebby]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

Safety is overrated. If someone wants to kill other people, they will kill other people. The only hurdle is whether they have to shoot a security guard first. The fact that presidents have been shot and killed should pretty much end that discussion.

The only way you get rid of campus shootings is to mentally stabilize every 18-24 year old kid, and that will happen sometime around never.

[MassNole]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

Safety is overrated. If someone wants to kill other people, they will kill other people. The only hurdle is whether they have to shoot a security guard first. The fact that presidents have been shot and killed should pretty much end that discussion.

The only way you get rid of campus shootings is to mentally stabilize every 18-24 year old kid, and that will happen sometime around never.

That or to correctly interpret the 2nd Amendment and make it near impossible to purchase a gun.
========================

As for the topic, I know my school was no safer after VaTech. Hell after we had a girl get carjacked in the parking lot the school didn't get any safer really. Oh wait, they lock a back exit now at night that does little for safety (that I can deduce at least) but does make leaving a pain in the ***.

[Double Eights]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

If the administrators and public safety officers aren't going to provide safety for me, I should have the right to do it myself.

Only the students with the correct certificates and permits would be able to carry on campus anyway. You have to get a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon on your person.

If just one person had a firearm at any of these school shootings, there would have been a lot less casualties.

Look at it this way. If you know that 10,000 (just a figure) other students are carrying a gun with them, would you be willing to pull yours out and start shooting. It would be suicide to do so.

If kids want to come into school and start shooting, you can't stop them. Putting a gun into the hands of a licensed gun owner (student/teacher with correct permits) could definitely help reduce the amount of shootings.

I hate knowing that I go to school everyday with NO protection. Osama Bin Laden could walk into my classroom tomorrow and blow the place to hell. There is nothing stopping him.

-End Rant-

[SPTO]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

Only the students with the correct certificates and permits would be able to carry on campus anyway. You have to get a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon on your person.

Your intentions are noble but wrongheaded IMO but i'm not going to attack that but what i'm going to point out is that this is a bit of a red herring here. I've seen multiple news shows that document how people with KNOWN mental defficiences can obtain a gun liscence. It's happened enough times to not be a fluke.

[jmood88]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

If the administrators and public safety officers aren't going to provide safety for me, I should have the right to do it myself.

Only the students with the correct certificates and permits would be able to carry on campus anyway. You have to get a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon on your person.

If just one person had a firearm at any of these school shootings, there would have been a lot less casualties.

Look at it this way. If you know that 10,000 (just a figure) other students are carrying a gun with them, would you be willing to pull yours out and start shooting. It would be suicide to do so.

If kids want to come into school and start shooting, you can't stop them. Putting a gun into the hands of a licensed gun owner (student/teacher with correct permits) could definitely help reduce the amount of shootings.

I hate knowing that I go to school everyday with NO protection. Osama Bin Laden could walk into my classroom tomorrow and blow the place to hell. There is nothing stopping him.

-End Rant-

They know going in that they are going to die, none of the school shooters have tried to get away, so students having guns isn't going to scare a crazy person away from taking as many people as they can with them.

[superjames1992]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

Until you let the students/faculty carry firearms to protect themselves, or put metal detectors at every entrance, things will never been 100% safe.

Ditto.

That or to correctly interpret the 2nd Amendment and make it near impossible to purchase a gun.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Please tell me how that does not say each person has the right to keep and bear arms...

[Hassan Darkside]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

I'm pretty sure the only big difference that has been made at VT since the shooting is that students don't have access to all dorm buildings now. It was before that your ID could get you into any building but now only your dorm. But it's still incredibly easy to get into another building, you just wait outside the door or bang on the window and someone will let you in. They tell us not to let other people in, but it's just in the courteousness of our nature to be nice. You just don't think people would do that.

I don't think it's really any safer. The only thing that's really changed is that we're now more aware. But there's already been other violent acts around campus. There's been carjacks, armed robberies and gun shots fired this year.

[Karlos05]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

We need a clone of Chuck Norris to roam through every campus.

[Double Eights]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

They know going in that they are going to die, none of the school shooters have tried to get away, so students having guns isn't going to scare a crazy person away from taking as many people as they can with them.

Exactly.

They are going in there for one reason, and one reason only...to kill. The only way to stop these people, is to kill them first. And the only way to kill them first, is for someone to have a weapon of their own.

Gun laws do one thing, and that is to prevent good law obiding citizens from obtaining and carrying guns. If someone wants to kill someone, they will do it. Banning people from getting guns just prevents the good people from being able to protect themselves from the dirtbags who don't care about laws...the dirtbags you see shooting up schools.

If the schools aren't going to protect their students (no metal detectors, very little campus police, etc..), then the students should have the right to do it themselves. Anyone can get a gun, not everyone can get a CCW permit. Allowing the students/teachers with the CCW permits to carry on campus, would help prevent the mass school shootings. Yes, psychos will still try to shoot up schools, but with armed students/teachers there will be less likely victims.

[superjames1992]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

We need a clone of Chuck Norris to roam through every campus.

[aukevin]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

They know going in that they are going to die, none of the school shooters have tried to get away, so students having guns isn't going to scare a crazy person away from taking as many people as they can with them.

exactly. All it accomplishes by having more people with guns is more cross-fire.

As for the topic, I don't know if schools are safer, I'm not in school anymore. I know nothing has changed at my job where any lunatic could come in a blast away if they wanted, but that goes for just about anywhere. So agree with The Soldier on this one that there isn't really much you can do.

[mgoblue]

Re: Are College Campuses Really Safer Now?

exactly. All it accomplishes by having more people with guns is more cross-fire.

Yeah...and I know there's training and whatnot, but still. Even if you license people, these are still 20 year old kids with a gun in their face. To expect them to act coldly and professionally like the police do in such a crazy situation is insane. Plus how many of these people would actually be able to aim?

I'm not against people owning guns, I just think that going "Oh, if more people had guns this wouldn't happen" is a copout...IMO that wouldn't solve anything (and would probably cause more incidents because of accidental firings). Again, just my opinion.

As for schools being safer, I don't think we can make any situation completely safe from some psycho crazed lunatic, and I'm not willing to give up my freedom/privacy (having metal detectors everywhere, frisking everyone all the time, whatever) to attempt the impossible. I also refuse to "live in fear". I could get hit by a bus the next time I get in my car. I could die in a crash next time I fly. I could have a stroke and die right now. It's not worth stressing over. Lunatics with guns can take out presidents, people surrounded by protection...I don't think we can make anywhere completely safe.