The University of Miami can be seen as an oasis of greenery and security in a city known for crime and violence. Admittedly, incidents involving armed robbery and theft are not uncommon, and many students commute from areas with notoriously high levels of crime (nearby Opa-locka often shares the distinction of having the country’s highest level of crime with East Saint Louis). Perhaps the university should consider joining the debate as to whether to allow students and faculty the right to concealed carry for those who have a concealed weapon permit.
The notion may offend some liberal sensibilities, but the grim reality is that security personnel are not able to police the entire campus all hours of the day, making law-abiding students and faculty members vulnerable targets – particularly at night. I might agree that keeping guns out of the dorms is probably a good idea – the dorms are fairly secure anyway. But I see no reason why members of the community should not be allowed to secure themselves when they have proven themselves to have the competence necessary to safely handle and use a firearm and who are familiar with self-defense laws. Concealed weapon permit holders are usually not mad-eyed, on-the-lookout-for-them-terrorists psychotics, but fairly normal and peaceable people who would rather not shoot unless unavoidable in saving a life. As for liberal sensibilities, well even registered Democrats like myself should be able to see that far from turning the campus into the O.K. Corral, allowing concealed carry on campus could go a long way to prevent the next hold up or rape, or even stop a tragedy on the scale of the Virginia Tech shootings.
– Rafael Alejandro Jara
Junior