State lawmakers are supporting bills that would allow students to legally carry concealed weapons on college campuses. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 14 states have established 35 bills that would permit both students and faculty members to carry concealed weapons on state colleges or universities or that would relax gun ban restrictions on campuses.
None of the bills has passed so far. To date, Utah is the only state that permits concealed weapons on state campuses.
Gun possession on college campuses has been widely contested for years, and with the Virginia Tech massacre of 2007 still serving as a reminder of the devastation that can be wrought by concealed weapons, the question of allowing guns on campus is one that still being addressed.
Advocates in favor of the right to exercise the Second Amendment maintain that by allowing guns on campus may help prevent tragedies like Virginia Tech. Opponents believe that permitting weapons on campus would escalate the level of safety and may even lead to an increase in gun-related incidents fueled by alcohol and drug consumption.
