Why I don’t carry my gun on campus
I have a purple and black 9 mm Ruger handgun and I have earned my advanced concealed carry license. Thanks to Idaho Senate Bill 1254, I am allowed to carry my gun on campus, as long as it is concealed and I’m not in the Student Union Building or the Kibbie Dome. No one can ask me if I’m carrying and I don’t legally have to tell them I am, as long as my weapon is tucked away unseen.
But even with the generous law provisions, I don’t carry my gun on campus. Why do I have my license and not carry my gun? Because it’s unnecessary and I feel unsafe carrying my Ruger in public places.
There’s a stereotype floating around that people who have gun licenses feel the dire need to carry their gun with them wherever they go. Who knows how many gun fanatics are walking around campus strapped with a loaded weapon.
To receive my license, I had to wait until my 21st birthday. I then had to register my weapon and pay $150 for an eight-hour class and a two-hour hands-on training session at the shooting range. After that, I had to pass an exam that tested my knowledge on gun safety and responsibility.
So with all this training, I feel safe handling my weapon.
But even then, accidents do happen and I’d rather not be the person it happens to.
Let’s look at the Idaho State University professor who shot himself in the foot at the beginning of the month. According to local news, the professor, who was later identified as Byron Bennett, had all the proper permits (including gun safety training) to carry a concealed weapon on ISU’s campus. But his gun accidentally went off while teaching a chemistry class and he was wounded in the foot.
First off, he was teaching a class, so he’s lucky that the gun didn’t injure any of the students in his classroom. ISU President Arthur Vailas was quoted saying that the incident was scary and embarrassing.
Gun accidents happen and when they do, they can be devastating.
The relationship between gun ownership and gun-related deaths is unclear. While studies are being done, political argument reigns over whether or not people are safer with or without guns.
Personally, I feel safer not carrying. If someone was to notice I was carrying a gun, I could put myself in greater danger by becoming a target or a threat. I am putting others in danger when I carry a loaded 9 mm around the public, since there is always a chance of accidents happening.
I personally feel that if I needed to protect myself on campus, my gun would be the last thing I’d reach for. I’d rather use my pepper spray or a taser gun before I tried to pull out my gun from its holster, unlock the trigger, actually cock the gun (which takes more muscle than it looks) and then have the time to shoot the person who’s endangering me in a non-fatal spot on their body.
It’s official that students, faculty and staff can carry a concealed gun on campus, if they have the right training and license. But the stereotype that everyone who has a license carries their gun everywhere is false. Mine sits safely at home locked away, and you can feel better knowing that.
Danielle Wiley can be reached at [email protected]