On Monday, November 28, Abdul Razak Ali Artan ran a car into a crowd of students at Ohio State University and attacked some of them with a butcher’s knife. Within a minute, Ohio State Officer Alan Horujko had fatally shot Artan. Eleven people were injured in the attack. Now, students and politicians alike are calling for the passage of House Bill 48, which would legalize concealed carry on college campuses for licensed individuals.
The bill passed in the Ohio House of Representatives last year, and hearings were held on November 30 as the Senate prepared to vote on the bill in one of the last voting sessions of the year. If the bill passed, it would be up to each individual university to decide whether or not to allow concealed carry on campus, and it would also allow concealed carry in certain areas of child care centers, airport terminals, and police stations. Additionally, a non-licensed individual found to be carrying a concealed gun would only face a minor misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of a $150 fine. Currently, this violation results in a felony charge.
This proposal has resulted in mixed reactions from students and members of the community. Some feel that they cannot properly protect themselves without a concealed firearm, citing the 129 assaults and 21 sex crimes reported just within this semester for the University District in Columbus. They also believe that knowing more students are possibly armed can serve as a deterrent for potential attackers, and those who are armed could respond quickly to neutralize a threat.
Opponents of the bill feel differently, however. They believe that the addition of more weapons to a situation such as the attack at OSU would only complicate things and make the situation more dangerous, as the attacker would not be as easily identifiable and innocent carriers could appear to be part of the attack. Additionally, there is the belief that many concealed carriers do not have the proper training to put down an assailant. Opponents also cite the frequent use of alcohol on college campuses, noting that mixing alcohol and firearms can have disastrous consequences.
Personally, I do not believe that concealed carry should be legalized on college campuses. The fact of the matter is that the threat at OSU was neutralized in less than a minute by a college officer, not a vigilante bystander who happened to be carrying a weapon. Security presence is big even at a small school like Kenyon, rendering the need for civilian justice virtually unnecessary. Allowing students to carry guns on campus will only result in preventable shootings caused by alcohol or vigilante justice gone wrong. Many students, including myself, carry pepper spray as a safety precaution, and although that might not keep me from getting injured if my attacker has a firearm, I doubt that I would be capable of protecting myself with a gun without training that extends beyond what is required to obtain a concealed carry license (and there’s also the fact that you have to be 21 to get such a license). I believe few students would be willing to participate in such training, and frankly, the idea of untrained armed students on campus makes me more than a little nervous.
Have opinions about House Bill 48? Leave us a comment, or contact your senator.