Florida just can’t seem to get it right.
While its judicial system desperately needs to redeem itself, a newly-passed bill has the potential to push the state 10 steps back.
The deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis have led to backlash of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, yet Florida still doesn’t seem to understand that it needs to be demoting
violence.
Last week, a Republican-led House committee approved a bill allowing people on any Florida college campus, 21 years or older, to carry guns and concealed weapons.
Ironically, this bill is being passed two months after a shooter injured three people in a library at Florida State University.
The committee believes that an individual shouldn’t be restricted from his or her Second Amendment right solely because he or she entered a college
campus.
If this bill becomes law, it will become effective July 1, making Florida the eighth state to allow guns on campus.
Republican State Representative Greg Steube, who filed the bill, believes this will make college campuses safer because now people can protect themselves and others in school
shootings.
For the past three years, Steube has been trying his hardest to pass bills that allow guns in elementary, middle and high schools. He must have realized how irrational it would be to have second graders walk around with guns and figured his best shot would be getting the bill passed on college campuses.
A U.S. Department of Justice study found 93 percent of violent crimes occur off campus. This makes campuses one of the safest places to be, mainly because no guns are allowed.
Steube doesn’t seem to understand that. He argues that gun-free zones don’t prevent shootings from happening or criminals from creating havoc.
While that is completely true, it is also extremely pessimistic. That’s fighting fire with fire.
Basically, in an attempt to prevent violence and make campuses safer he is pushing to allow deadly weapons on college campuses.
This flawed logic has anti-gun activists going insane. More guns doesn’t mean more peace, it means more violence and way more chaos.
Those that are pro-gun want us to believe that we are protected by arming ourselves, but there is a key piece of the equation that no one seems to notice.
Let’s say there is a series of armed robberies. The only reason the good guy prevails in these encounters is because he had the protection of his gun. Once this news gets out, the next step for the bad guy would be to shoot the good guy first and then proceed to rob him later.
Bad guys knowing that other people have guns won’t deter them from committing crimes. They’re always in war with each other. Guns will never stop them from being criminals, it will only make them change their approach.
We can get rid of scenarios like these by passing stricter gun control laws, not by giving everyone the opportunity to carry a gun around.
If Louisiana passed a law that allowed people on college campuses to carry deadly weapons, it would leave many LSU students scared and uncomfortable.
It’s not rational to allow guns on a college campus when, according to a study by Villanova University, 80 percent of college students use alcohol. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Who would feel safe being in a room full of gun-carrying college kids who are on their third beer? Not many.
Ashley Cowie, a sophomore at Florida State University, was shot and killed at a party after an AK-47 was accidently triggered by her friend that had been drinking that day.
Even with the population of gun holders being so slim, there’s still a large amount of accidental shootings that take place on college campuses. That list is sure to increase when you start adding more guns into the equation.
Of course safety is the number one priority, so college campuses should increase security. They can add more law enforcement, place metal detectors outside of all buildings, add more cameras and add other countless security measures.
There are many more reasonable alternatives to eliminate the violence problem than just putting more guns on campus.
Clarke Perkins is a 19-year-old political science freshman from New Orleans, Louisiana. You can reach her on Twitter
@ClarkePerkins.