Shootings at universities are — thankfully — rare events, and schools that allow concealed weapons on campus are also rare in number. However, the probability of rare events occurring at rare locations approaches zero, and we should be cautious when trying to extract arguments based on them.

For example, I could argue: “No all-female college has seen a campus shooting. Therefore, if universities stopped admitting male students, we would see fewer campus shootings.”

The all-female Bryn Mawr, Wellesley and Mount Holyoke Colleges have witnessed no campus shootings in their combined 400 year history. Why? Because college students are far less likely instigate a massacre if they are female. Problem solved, right?

I make no statement on what rights the Constitution grants individuals, or what the best solution is for a school. However, the reason for which school shootings do not occur at Utah State, Colorado State, etc., is not necessarily that they have granted students permission to carry concealed weapons — these are simply rare events.

On behalf of the much-affronted math and statistics majors of Iowa State, it is politely requested that proponents of concealed carry weapons revise their probability based arguments.