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A response to students carrying concealed handguns on
campus
By WILLIAM H. ADCOX AND THOMAS E.
ENGELLS
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT
HOUSTON
The college experience is a rite of passage for millions of young Americans. College is often the first time a young adult is away from family and home for a significant period of time. It is their first experience of independent living. Parents and students have expectations that college life will be in a safe and secure environment. But recent tragic events have caused many to question the safety and security of the college campus. Would carrying concealed weapons provide safety? We believe that a movement to authorize concealed handguns to be carried on a college campus may be an over-reaction to the current situation and argue against it.
By many measures, American college campuses are safe places to live, study and work. A review of Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Education and various news sources statistics during 2001 to 2005 indicated that there were 76 homicides on college campuses. If you extract the visitors, staff members and others from that total, a total of 43 undergraduate and graduate students were murdered on a campus during that five year period, or less than 10 homicides per year at thousands of college campuses across the nation.
The two recent catastrophic events that prompted heightened concerns about campus safety were at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois Universities. While dissimilar in many aspects, they did share some commonalities. One of the most important was the speed in which the crime occurred as well as the rapid response by law enforcement to the scene. Both were very unfortunate events in our modern world, but they are less than compelling justification for the arming of the student population at college campuses that are as varied as rural liberal arts colleges to urban research universities.
Accepting that there is a risk of violence in modern society, it is necessary to categorize that risk - is it probable or a potential event? Then we need to determine and categorize our fear, what are we specifically afraid of, as well as, how can that fear be put to rest? The reality of the current situation is clear at best, violence on campus is a potential not a probable event. As a result, the measures we adopt to address that risk should be proportionate to the threat.
We must do our best to insure every student, faculty and staff member on a college campus is oriented and trained on key behavioral changes or other indicators of problems and on the appropriate methods to report such observations. Early intervention and enhanced resources to assist with troubled individuals would be a major step in the right direction.
The Texas Penal Code, Section 46.03 �Places Weapons Prohibited� specifies that weapons are prohibited on the physical premises of a school or educational institution, whether the school or educational institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the institution. Concealed handguns are also prohibited (Texas Penal Code 46.035) on the premises where a high school, collegiate or professional sporting event or interscholastic event is taking place, unless the license holder is a participant in the event and a handgun is used in the event.
The Texas Department of Public Safety maintains statistical data on the concealed handgun licenses and reports that 288,909 Texans are active license holders. Concealed Handgun License holders from 40 other states are allowed either by agreement or unilateral declaration to carry concealed handguns in Texas.
The question then becomes - will concealed handguns on campus reduce the risk of violence on campus? The answer, although predictive and based on our combined 50 plus years of law enforcement experience opinion, is no. As is commonly known within the security and law enforcement community, a person with the intent to die defies common crime prevention measures. Physical combat involving handguns is often a rapid and confusing situation. Trained Peace Officers facing such situations often are wounded or slain as they engage these assailants, so can we legitimately expect concealed handgun license holders to do better? Additional firearms may aggravate not resolve the tactical situation faced by the responding Peace Officer. Simply put - who is the good guy? Who is the threat? These questions are not just faced by the responding Law Enforcement personnel but by those who in fact have concealed handguns in tactical encounters. The potential for collateral injuries would increase as the total number of firearms on campus increases.
But as important as is the response to that simple question on risk, is the understanding that the modern college campus is more than a classroom. It also serves as a residence, a source of recreation and entertainment, a place of employment, a treatment facility and often times, a hospital. The sense of security that a concealed handgun may provide an individual license holder must be weighed against the danger that same firearm poses to others if it is taken from the license holder or used inappropriately in a rapidly evolving situation. One wonders if fellow students would be frightened knowing an unknown number of others on campus may be armed. Will that affect their ability to concentrate and learn? Also, we believe that the college campuses as a place for intellectual curiosity and self expression at times results in demonstrations and protests. In light of that campus culture, the infusion of students and others carrying concealed handguns in our opinion may be dangerous.
Proficiency with a firearm requires ongoing training and regular practice. You can not be assured of the outcome even when proficient individuals are placed in a hostile and excited situation. Trained peace officers face this dilemma as an occupational hazard, but to impose this dilemma on an average citizen, may be challenging. In the last category of daily fitness for duty inspection, it is important to consider that judgment and decision-making can be greatly impaired if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, severely stressed, fatigued or physically ill.
See a comparison at right, between a Texas peace officer and a concealed handgun licensee.
The risks posed to the campus community by a marked increase in the number of armed persons on campus could be enormous. Universities and colleges should commit to and support safety and security on campuses by staffing fully trained and appropriately equipped law enforcement officers; by providing enhanced crime prevention programs supplemented by modern security systems; by increasing crime awareness throughout the campus community; by providing enhanced mental health services for college students; by working to reduce the legal obstacles in disseminating pertinent information to campus law enforcement; and by insuring that the Chief Law Enforcement official and campus police agency work and report directly to the highest level of executive leadership.
About the authors
William H. Adcox is the Chief of Police at The University of Texas at Houston Police Department - a full service law enforcement agency located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. A retired Deputy Chief from the El Paso Police Department, he served as the Chief of Police, The University of Texas at El Paso prior to his appointment at Houston in 2004. A Master Peace Officer with twenty-nine years of experience, he holds a Master in Business Administration (The University of Texas at El Paso).
Thomas E. Engells is the Assistant Chief of Police at The University of Texas at Houston Police Department. A Master Peace Officer with more than twenty-five years experience, he is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and holds advanceda degrees in both Criminal Justice Management (Sam Houston State University) and Homeland Security and Defense Studies (US Naval Postgraduate School). He was recently awarded the designation Certified Protection Professional (CPP) by the American Society for Industrial Security.
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