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Campuses should focus on preventing threats
The arrest of the masked man on the KU campus on Nov. 5 causes students to worry about the University's completion of security checks allowing for concealed carry. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
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A few weeks ago I was taking a nap when I was awakened by a call from my mom. She had just gotten a text message from KU about masked men who had been arrested on campus. I checked Twitter to see what was going on and I saw a borderline panic.
Reading eyewitness accounts on social media, there was a shocking number of students who said they believed they were in the middle of a school shooting. Their fear was justifiable and, though the intruders didn't have guns, the threat was real.
That's why I was surprised when just a short time later, I read that the University had completed its security checks to allow for concealed carry on campus. This couldn't have come at a more inappropriate time. Students were still talking about the masked men, how threatened they felt and the discrepancies in the University's alert system.
The alert system received widespread criticism following the Guy Fawkes incident. KU didn't alert students that there were masked men on campus until after they had been apprehended.
I'm forced to agree with my peers — an alert should have been sent out informing students of what was going on especially when no one knew if the intruders were armed. The lack of an informational alert caused more panic than was necessary. KU's delayed texts should make it clear: this campus is not ready for concealed carry.
I've never been a fan of guns, especially concealed guns. I don't think they're cool, fun or a basic human right. I see no point in carrying a gun with you to the grocery store or the gym. I can never think of a reason to bring a concealed gun to class.
Maybe, instead of encouraging concealed carry
on campus, we should start focusing on how to prevent violence from happening in the first place.
Concealed carry on campus is a frightening concept. Guns wielded by students, faculty and visitors have no place on a college campus. The state legislature and University administrators need to
focus on preventing threats on our campus rather than multiplying them.
Maddy Mikinski is a sophomore from Linwood studying journalism
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