Carrying on campus
Sarah Jayne Edmonds
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: News
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ETSU like other campuses has made changes to better ensure student safety. There's the GoldAlert text messaging system that alerts students on their cell phones and via e-mail if there is an emergency or school closings. GoldAlert was proven effective late January when ETSU closed due to ice and on March 13 in informing students of an unsubstantiated threat to the Academic Advisement Center.
Large decals have been placed on the doors of every building to warn students of six years imprisonment and a maximum fine of $3,000 if a firearm is brought onto school premises. The decal also states that those who have the appropriate concealed handgun license are not excluded from those penalties. Although these are viewed as helpful and useful changes, some on the ETSU campus wonder if more guns could be a solution to the problem.
Jessica Rose Hodge, a senior general studies major, supports the idea of the right to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. "I would not be opposed to it, but I believe there should be extensive background checks, a waiting period, and psychological testing done before handing a gun to anyone," she said. Hodge also stated that she wouldn't feel that her safety would be affected as long as those granting permits were following the regulations. "The government is not here to baby us, we have to make our own choices. It's not their job to make our choices for us." Agreeing with Hodge was Paul Jonas, a senior who has his concealed handgun permit. "After what happened at Virginia Tech, I no longer feel safe on campus," he said. "If concealed carry was permitted on campus, I would feel much safer knowing I could protect myself."
Allowing concealed carry on campus would mean any student, faculty, or staff could carry a handgun, concealed with the appropriate permit, in a backpack and under clothing, but the idea makes Donnie Barnett, a junior music education major, uncomfortable. "Yes, you have the right to bear your arms, no, you do not have the right to take things designed to kill people into places of higher thought and learning which should be a sanctuary for students. It should not be a battlefield, but a campus," Barnett said. "Police should be there to quickly respond and protect the innocent."
