After the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, Arkansas and Georgia passed legislation to allow both students and faculty to carry guns on college campuses. State legislatures are acting on this hot-topic issue by deciding if they want to ban or allow campus carry, or leave the decision up to individual universities. Ten states allow concealed carry on campuses and those include: Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin (“Guns on Campus”). Currently, the University of Maryland does not allow campus-carry. I believe that UMD students should not be allowed to carry concealed firearms on campus because campus-carry creates a hostile learning environment, adds unnecessary costs to the university’s budget, and creates a higher risk of student suicides. 

 

    The state of Maryland should not allow campus carry because the presence of firearms creates a hostile learning environment in which people don't feel free to openly express their opinion. The carrying of firearms censors classrooms because “faculty and students cannot discuss contentious issues in the open without the fear of inciting angry students to draw their guns” (Bogost). A fear of being harmed for having opposing views from gun owners creates an undemocratic society, silencing people’s freedom of speech. A professor from the University of Texas at Austin said that there is “the risk that a disgruntled student might bring a gun into the classroom and start shooting at me” during a lecture (Morris). Anxieties form with the knowledge that everyone around you can potentially be carrying a gun, a harmful, deadly weapon. Many LGBT students have spoken out stating that they are not able to speak up for themselves anymore because they fear angering someone and being a gun-holders’ target (O’Connor). Citizens create this haunting idea “of the gun in the room, the truly silenced barrel of the firearm… whose possible existence alters the way we think and behave” (Bogost). People’s guaranteed rights as American citizens of being able to speak freely are being violated because guns are silencing classrooms, debates, and discussions throughout campus. 

 

    In addition, campus carry should not be allowed at the University of Maryland because it is extremely expensive to enhance security on campuses to deal with the fact that there are active firearms on campus. New equipment needs to be bought and updated, more staff need to be hired, and additional training needs to be paid for. In Idaho, five schools are required to improve their security after campus carry was approved, and they are “expect[ing] total costs to top $3.7 million for the year” (Isong and Morales). This money is coming out of the university’s budget, not the state’s. Less money is being spent on students amplifying facilities and research when they need to buy security systems and install gun safes. There will also be a rise in insurance costs with the estimation “rising as much as $900,000 per year if campus carry was passed” (Isong and Morales). The state legislatures want to pass laws to implement campus carry, but they aren’t the ones paying these exorbitant, additional costs. 

 

    Correspondingly, it is harmful to allow the carrying of guns on campus because it increases the risk of student suicides. Research indicates that “eighty-five percent of suicides attempted with guns are fatal and nearly 7 percent of individuals aged 18 to 25 have had serious thoughts of suicide” (Isong and Morales). Suicide attempts spawn from a single impulsive decision, and easy access to guns can quickly turn a dangerous idea into a horrifying reality. The “presence and availability of guns is a major suicide risk factor” (Rich). Allowing firearms on college campuses gives tens of thousands of people access to a weapon that can easily kill themselves or others. It is even more risky when guns are brought into the lives of those who are already struggling with mental health issues or alcohol and drug abuse. Universities already have a tense environment due to rigourous schedules and high stress, and the presence of guns on campus would only increase the risk of student suicides. 

 

    Supporters of campus carry argue that there are not many people who can legally carry guns therefore, the impact would be minimal. The law says “you have to be 21 before applying for a concealed carry license, [so] fewer than 1% of students will qualify for a license to carry a concealed weapon” (Morris).  Although 1% seems like a small portion of the population, it can still account for a significant amount of people at large universities. At the University of Maryland, there are 45,167 students and faculty which makes around 450 potential gun-owners on campus, with the possibility of owning more than one gun (“Facts & Figures”). It is a concern that guns are concealed, so people walking around campus will never know who is a potential threat to them or the rest of the school. 

 

Furthermore, people claim that the new campus carry law allows students to have more options for defending themselves on campus. Women, using self-defense methods might be able to lower the gruesome statistic that, “one-in-five women are sexually assaulted while in college” (Hill). This could make some people feel that they have the power to stop a sexual assault offense, but there isn’t any credible evidence that guns would reduce violence on college campuses (Isong and Morales). Clearly, allowing concealed carry on campus is potentially harmful to everyone in the community. It should not be allowed at the University of Maryland because the presence of firearms on campus creates a hostile environment, it is costing universities too much money, and there is a higher risk of students committing suicides with the increased availability of firearms.