Austen Trevers
Arts and Entertainment Editor
austen.trevers@hawks.shorter.edu
Much controversy has surrounded the topic of guns, speci cally on college campuses. As many people may know, the House Bill 859 was recently passed. This bill allows students and teachers to carry concealed rearms on campus.
Why would they do this, you ask? Well, the average response time for police after a 911 call is 11 minutes according to the
Independent Journal; someone can cause a great amount of damage in 11 minutes.
So imagine a situation, you are sitting in class and you hear gun shots go off in the hallway. Teachers are trained to barricade the door and get all the students to lie on the ground behind barriers. Then the as- sailant breaks through the door, and all of you are sitting ducks. Now imagine the same situation, but put a gun in the teacher’s hand as the assailant enters the room. In most situations, the threat is gone.
Making carrying guns legal on college campuses adds a fear into the minds of anyone who might think of trying to shoot up a school. Just the knowledge of just one person could deter the perpetrator.
Obviously, this is not something that is to be taken lightly. Guns are a dangerous weapon, but if someone uses them in the way they are intended to be used, they are a useful tool. This bill allows anyone with a Georgia concealed carry permit to carry a gun on campus.
However, to receive a concealed carry permit, you only endure a background check, and then, a person is able to carry a gun. Anyone who would like to carry a gun, must receive mandatory training in gun safety.
Training should cover gun safety, what to do in a shooter situation, what to say to police and the responsibilities of carrying a gun.
Carrying a gun is a privilege, but most of all it is a responsibility. The gun carrier has to be willing to run towards the re as everyone else is running away.
