Are you afraid of campus violence? Is another gun really our answer? No it is not.

In 2007 a shooter wreaked havoc on Virginia Tech’s campus, and he left 32 innocent people dead. The current attitude has remained intact at Virginia Tech, which is a no-tolerance policy. After being at the forefront of campus violence, they have remained persistent that another gun is not the answer.

According to a study published in 2009 at the University of Pennsylvania, “individuals in possession of a gun were 4.46 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those not in possession.” In addition, handguns are inherently inaccurate due to their short barrels, and they can easily strike off target. Our campus police force is properly trained to handle life-threatening situations involving many different types of weapons. Those with “concealed to carry” permits most likely do not endure the strenuous training that our law enforcement officials do, and they are more likely to cause more harm than good considering exponentially increased probability of being shot.

If they beat the odds of self-injury, they might end up not shooting who they intend to, and what if that’s a fellow student or faculty member? How about if it’s your best friend, brother or sister? College is a place to open our minds to ideas beyond violence, not hide behind the false security that a concealed weapon provides.

Another gun is not the answer.