Don't shoot from the hip about guns on campus

I guess I don't understand the logic. Of course, that may be because the idea of allowing guns on campus is in fact, not logical.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but please, hold my hammer while I kick it. Obviously, this idea is addressed, and re-addressed, quite frequently, but I felt the need to delve into discussion after hearing about a student-run protest that will be going on this entire week.

The protest, which is called the Gun Lovers Forum, will ultimately be a protest for colleges across the nation to demonstrate against state and campus laws that prohibit concealed weapons on college campuses.

So you're telling me allowing more guns will create a safer environment for everyone? Huh? What?

How can owning something that is clearly designed to kill - be it animals or humans - create a safer atmosphere? It simply can't. More guns on campus would only create a society of mass chaos and fear. I understand the possibility of potentially having more attacks, but wouldn't it be more frightening if there were thousands of guns on campus as opposed to hopefully just one?

This whole notion perplexes me. If you don't think that students would be wounded and maybe killed everyday with this sort of law, then you are sorely misinformed. More guns would only be more reason for simple arguments to be settled with bullets.

How many times do little arguments turn into tragedies? Too often, people are controlled by their emotions. Rational thinking becomes secondary to first instincts, which in most cases aren't the best scenario. Sometimes, you act on impulse without actually thinking about what you're doing.

So let me take you through a what-if situation. If a possible attack were to occur and everyone with guns reacts in self-defense, what would happen to those students who don't have a gun? Don't you think that many more students would be hurt if they were caught in the crossfire of a dozen guns going off as opposed to just one?

First, proponents of guns might say, "It would be there for our protection." Maybe so. But, for the couple people who say they would only use it for emergencies, there are hundreds more who don't have the common sense or experience to know just what they're doing with a weapon.

Then, they might tell you, "Well, the Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution states that we as citizens have the right to bear arms." That may be true, but I would argue that James Madison didn't foresee a nation quite like this in 1787.

The fact is, schools are supposed to be sanctuaries, not battlefields. We're supposed to come to class and feel safe and if I were to be sitting in class with the knowledge that every one of my classmates was armed with a loaded weapon, safe isn't exactly what I would feeling.

Hundreds of crimes take place on campus each year - crimes without weapons. Imagine how inflated and deadly that number would be if universities permitted guns.

If the law was ever passed allowing students to bring guns to campus, how would they monitor who had guns and who didn't? Would they implement gun registration as part of Freshman Orientation? Otherwise, you'll have crimes being committed with only the knowledge that someone carrying a gun was the culprit. Well, if 40,000 students have guns, you're going to have a hell of a time pin pointing who's to blame. The idea is just nonsensical.

Obviously something needs to be done to prevent what has taken place all too often at schools across the country. But you can't expect to see change overnight.

Don't worry, I'm already anticipating your letters and your phone calls, telling me I don't know what I'm talking about. And I should say, "Save your ink," because anything you say won't alter my belief, but I know that won't stop you from writing. So, by all means waste some paper, waste your minutes on your phone, waste your time ultimately - it's OK with me. Guns won't be needed to solve this argument.