Major university authorized concealed carry of firearms on campus six months ago, and the results have been phenomenal for student safety
03/07/2018 / By JD Heyes
One of the many ideas being floated by reasonable men and women in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting on Valentine’s Day is to allow more people to carry guns on school property.
That suggestion is reflexively rejected by the Alt-Left, however, which prefers instead to leave school security to ‘the professionals’ — even those who choose not to step in to defend kids when they are under attack, as was the case in Parkland.
More police is another well-worn suggestion by the Left. Broward County deputies who responded to the Parkland shooting remained outside as kids were being slaughtered inside.
But even so, there’s an old saying that goes, “When seconds count, the police are minutes away.” That’s not a slam against cops, mind you, it’s just a recognition of the reality that police officers, few in number with lots to do, cannot be everywhere at once.
The idea that more people at public schools and on university campuses be armed so they can defend themselves, then, is not simply an idea whose time has come, it’s one that has been tested and found to be extremely effective.
In fact, the University of Kansas adopted a policy of allowing concealed carry of firearms on campus six months ago, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive. Instead of creating “safe spaces” for students, the university has permitted students full-use of their Second Amendment right to protect themselves.
It’s working. According to the Lawrence Journal-Report, “crime decreased 13 percent, with 671 criminal offenses reported to KU police in 2017 compared to 770 incidents in 2016, according to a news release from the KU Office of Public Safety.”
What’s more, there have been no incidents involving firearms violations, though there had been 14 reported incidences since 2008 up to that point. (Related: FACT CHECK: Mainstream media admitted in 1999 that Clinton’s “assault weapons ban” did NOTHING to stop Colombine massacre.)
The university made preparations for implementation of the concealed carry policy in July 2017 by adding three additional security officers to patrol parts of campus. The institution also added portable metal detectors.
According to Kansas state laws, only residents who are 21 years or older can carry concealed. The university says that 59 percent of its students are under that age.
Still, as reported by The Western Journal, Dudley Brown, president of the National Association of Gun Rights, thinks there is a causal relationship between the reduction in crime and the concealed carry policy.
“There’s no doubt that allowing citizens — especially women — to carry the tools for self-defense makes criminals think twice,” he told the website.
That view is shared by campus carry advocate Antonia Okafor. She tweeted this month that KU is “showing the world how #campuscarry is done.”
“Antonia, your advocacy kills more people. There is no way promoting more guns on campus can EVER equal less violence!!”
Yes, unless the people behind those guns are law-abiding citizens. Thank you Kansas for showing the world how #campuscarry is done https://t.co/dRWp6BjDXv
— Antonia Okafor (@antonia_okafor) March 4, 2018
She went onto point out another obvious fact that liberals seem oblivious to when it comes to guns: Law-abiding Americans who carry guns don’t use them for nefarious purposes, like shooting up schools.
You’d think that was obvious but to the Left, there are no ‘law-abiding gun owners,’ just ‘gun owners waiting to engage in the next massacre.’ Oh, and with the NRA’s help, love, and guidance.
More schools may be willing to follow Kansas’ example in the future, especially as these incidents continue to occur in academic gun-free zones. According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, eight states allow concealed carry on campuses. At the same time, 23 states leave the decision up to individual campuses.
When it comes to guns, there’s another expression that goes, “An armed society is a polite society.” The University of Kansas’ bold, successful experiment with concealed carry may not have made everyone more polite, but it has sure made people think twice about committing crimes on campus.
J.D. Heyes is also editor-in-chief of The National Sentinel.
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Tagged Under: concealed carry, firearms, gun rights, guns, lower crime, safety, Second Amendment, self-defense, Students, universities, University of Kansas, violence, violent crime
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