Concealed carry on campus

By: Ashton Kiplinger- Sophomore, Communications

 

 

House Bill 48: a controversial law that could allow concealed carry on college campuses has some at The University of

 

Dayton up in arms.

 

 

 

Citing a trend of highly publicized mass shootings, opponents of HB 48 say that guns have no place on college campuses.

 

“Haven’t you seen the news about all of the shootings?” said Ohio Rep. Ron Maag. “Guns are dangerous!”

At face value, this argument certainly has its merits. Indeed, guns require a great deal of personal responsibility

to operate safely. The ability of criminals and the mentally ill to obtain guns has also been brought into

question. In regards to concealed carry, however, these are less prominent concerns.

 

In order to obtain a concealed carry permit in the state of Ohio, you must first be 21 years of age and have been

an Ohio resident for at least 45 days. You must then find a certified concealed carry instructor and complete an

eight-hour course, consisting of six hours learning concealed carry laws and at least two hours of live fire

exercises. This portion is waived for current or recently honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces.

After the class, one must then submit an application with photo ID to their local sheriff’s department where the

police will then run an extensive criminal and mental competency background check. Finally, the applicant’s

fingerprints will be logged before they are able to obtain a permit.

 

These are extensive regulations that thoroughly vet concealed carry applicants. Furthermore, these regulations

prevent known criminals and the mentally unstable from obtaining a concealed carry permit. In a 2015 report

by the Crime Prevention Resource center, it was found that concealed carry permit holders in Texas and Florida

were convicted of misdemeanors and felonies at 1/6th the rate of police officers over the same period.

Due to recent reports of robberies on and around campus, some students no longer feel the university is safe.

While students like SGA President Mike Brill personally believe concealed carry on campus would make UD

less safe, others argue that having trained, vetted concealed carriers on campus would be nothing but a benefit.

While the decision to allow concealed carry on campus ultimately falls to the university, the passing of HB 48

could persuade administrators to consider lifting the University of Dayton’s ban on concealed carry.