There is not much that starts a spirited debate faster than talking about guns on college and university campuses. Currently only Utah allows students and faculty over 21 to carry a concealed weapon on all public colleges and universities.
Other states are trying to get on the list, however within the past month, legislatures in Texas, Louisiana and Missouri have defeated bills to do so.
Patrick Fiel, public safety advisor for ADT and former head of security for Washington, D.C. Public Schools, said he recently conducted an unscientific, but interesting poll on the social media site, LinkedIn.
"In only an hour, I received 284 votes, with more than 86 percent of those against allowing concealed weapons on campuses, ” he said.
Here is a summary of the results:
Would letting students carry concealed weapons at college be a good idea?
Yes 13 percent
No 86 percent
Looking closer at the people who voted yes, we can see there are more than three times as many men than women who voted yes, 22 percent to 7 percent.
Also, the age group that most supported guns on campus was aged 55 or older.
Fiel himself is an ardent opponent to arming students.
“An armed citizenry will never replace, nor will it add, to trained police at a college or university,” he said.
– PSW staff
Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS
