There has been a significant outcry from students, faculty members and university administrators across the state about the Texas legislature’s recent debate over a bill that would allow licensed, concealed handguns to be carried on college campuses. And while there are passionate arguments on both sides of the argument, it appears that those opposed to such a bill are reciting the same flawed rhetoric and scare tactics which have been espoused by anti-gun activists in response to any and all legislation regarding Second Amendment rights in recent years.

Joe Driver, the bill’s sponsor, has used the 2007 shooting massacre at Virginia Tech as an example of why concealed handguns should be allowed on college campuses. Opponents counter that such a bill would simply cause more chaos and could potentially result in more deaths.

Obviously, it is impossible to know for sure what the consequences of the proposed law would be. However, in the case of the Virginia Tech shooting, a question of logistics must be asked: What was the one advantage that Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old student of average build, had over every other student and faculty member on Virginia Tech’s campus as he chained the doors shut, lined his victims up against a wall, and murdered them? He had a gun and no one else did.

The simple truth is that if someone is deranged enough to commit a massacre such as the one that occurred at Virginia Tech, the current laws in place prohibiting handguns on college campuses are not going to stop them. The bill being proposed by Representative Driver gives students who are now defenseless an opportunity to protect themselves in the event that the unthinkable occurs.

The SMU administration released its own statement opposing Driver’s bill, citing the events the university routinely hosts “with large numbers of children in attendance” as one of its main concerns. Is this really the best argument that SMU could formulate? There are a large number of children in attendance at the 7-Eleven on Hillcrest at 3:30. Should we similarly ban concealed weapons there as well?

Again, it is important to keep in mind that a concealed weapons ban on our campus is not going to stop a mentally unstable person from opening fire, whether it is directed at children, students, or faculty members. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the concealed weapons ban on college campuses is that it takes guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens wishing to defend themselves, and fails to deter would-be criminals from carrying out their heinous acts.

Another criticism that has been used by opponents of the bill has been that it would increase violence on campus. Students and professors have bristled at the notion that one of their colleagues across the hall could be carrying a concealed handgun as if we attend school at a mental institution. Do these people have the same fears when going to a movie theater, shopping, or their favorite restaurant?

The truth is that they are just as likely to encounter someone in any one of those everyday settings carrying a concealed weapon. Why does gun paranoia amplify just because we are on a college campus? If anything, the recent acts of gun violence at colleges across the country should prompt us to reconsider the laws regarded concealed weapons on campuses, not reinforce them.

The argument that someone with a concealed handgun could suddenly snap and open fire on classmates and faculty members is a frightening scenario. However, it is not supported by statistical evidence. In fact, a study commissioned by the Secret Service in 2000 concluded that past school shooters’ actions were preceded by a downward psychological spiral, oftentimes lasting for several weeks and containing numerous warning signs, as was the case with Seung-Hui Cho at Virginia Tech in 2007.

The Second Amendment’s right to bear arms is one of the most sacred rights that we, as American citizens, enjoy. The fact that we must sacrifice such a right whenever we step foot on a college campus is inconceivable. While I personally do not have a concealed handgun license, if an attacker were to lock the doors to my classroom and open fire, I would certainly hope that someone else in the room did.

Joseph Goddard is a senior political science and economics double major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].