EDITORIAL: Concealed carry fight distracts from common sense policy reform
By Editorial Board on April 16, 2012 8:00 am / 3 comments
The topic of carrying concealed firearms at public universities is loaded, but self defense extends beyond handguns.
While groups such as Students for Concealed Carry hold symbolic empty holster displays on campus to protest a perceived lack of firearm rights, under the current university weapons policy the possession of pepper spray constitutes an identical offense to the possession of a gun.
The consequences for possession of the vaguely termed “dangerous chemicals” by students are grave, according to the current University Weapons Policy, “Any student violating this rule shall be subject to suspension or dismissal.”
The policy is not limited to students. It goes on to state “Employees are subject to discipline up to and including discharge. Others may be subject to banning from campus and arrest for trespass.”
While the fight over concealed carry, especially on the grounds of a public institution, is fraught with legal and moral complications on both sides, there seems to be no justifying a ban on the non-lethal pepper spray available “over the counter” to consumers.
The work done by Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates and other students to create a zero-tolerance atmosphere when it comes to any kind of sexual assault should and has been widely applauded, but assaults and robberies are not unknown on our campus despite the best efforts of students, administrators and the Central Michigan University Police Department.
The potential harm of allowing students to carry pepper spray on campus is more than outweighed by its potential to even the fight between an assailant and an unsuspecting victim.
The worst that is likely to happen from the misuse of pepper spray would be pranks gone awry or accidental discharge. And while these experiences would be extremely painful, they would be much less so than the violent crime pepper spray and other less-than-lethal forms of self defense could prevent.
Should CMU be more concerned with protecting students from themselves than from attackers?
The fact of the matter is many students already carry pepper spray on themselves, despite regulations otherwise. It’s not surprising — the potential benefits far outweigh risk of suspension.
While guns and other lethal weaponry are a matter all their own, allowing students to carry self-defense items such as pepper spray is an opportunity for common sense to reign at CMU.
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3 Comments
It is interesting when it comes to the safety of women . Unborn children, not so much. Pregnant women abort their children, smoke tobacco and drugs and drink alcohol while pregnant with impunity and that is not worthy of mention with this crowd. All the rules can be bent. Typical feminazi hypocracy.
The Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
represents the basic human right to do what is needed to survive a hostile
encounter within the rules of law. It is
not a question of law or politics, but of university policy that we stand
against. As stated in the editorial, this
is a question of common sense and rather than stating that the Concealed Carry
group distracts from the application of common sense, I would challenge each of
you to attend a meeting and hear what the group really represents. We stand for our basic rights to defend
ourselves. We stand for training and the
responsible use of the tools and techniques for self-defense and we stand for recognition
of our rights by the university policy makers.
If common sense is to prevail then we need to find partners in this discussion
to join in the voice of common sense. I
would encourage each reader to understand the topic fully and decide for yourself
who should grant the right for you to defend yourself; the Federal Government
and the State of Michigan provide laws that define these rights that have been
tested in the courts for years, should the limitations of these rights be so
easily limited by university policy makers? The Students for Concealed Carry on campus
simply want our legal rights granted by the government recognized; this is the
same goal the editorial suggests. I
invite each of you join in the conversation.
The Students for Concealed Carry group on campus does advocate for
everyone’s right to self-defense while on campus. The primary mission of the group is to raise
awareness that there have been limitations put on our Second Amendment rights
while on campus. In its most basic form,
the Second Amendment guarantees the citizenry the right to self-defense;
whether it be from the government its self, an invader or from a criminal element. It is important to understand that the group
advocates the right to carry on campus for people that are licensed for legal
carry with a valid permit issued by the State of Michigan or a state that has a
reciprocity agreement with the state of Michigan. The group also advocates for the carry of non-lethal
tools including pepper spray as well as personal self-defense classes. I know that many students first became aware
of the restriction on pepper spray while talking with Students for Concealed
Carry group members during our various activities such as the recent open
holster demonstration. It is time to
have a thoughtful dialog without the rhetoric and ideology that often accompany
this topic. The question is simple, do
we live by the laws of the land which are supposed to govern us all, or by the
policy of unelected administrators.
Christopher McBride
Faculty Advisor – Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
I had no idea that pepper spray was not allowed. Whoooops. I carry it with me on my key chain, and I often carry it in my hand when I walk around campus. Oh well.