The concealed carry debate on college campuses heats up

From Fox News:

For the past two years, dozens of states have debated allowing college students to carry concealed weapons on campus. The issue is heating up in the Peach State where Georgia Tech students say an uptick of campus violence, has made them uneasy. Some want the right to carry concealed weapons on campus. 

“Concealed weapons holders are significantly less likely to be arrested or convicted of crimes than the remainder of the population," Robert Eagar of Students for Concealed Carry said. "However, the second they step on to the campus the argument is made they become irresponsible -- and can no longer carry their weapons safely."  

Three Tech students were robbed near campus in Atlanta in August. More recently, a student asleep in his dorm room behind three layers of security woke up to a gun pointed at his head. He was unharmed, but robbed.  Students who fear crime on campus, rallied this week for the chance to protect themselves. 

“We're not advocating for vigilante justice -- we're advocating that firearm is a last resort for defense,” Eager said. “Criminals know the population here at Georgia Tech is unarmed so we make an ideal target. Carrying high end laptops, cell phones, text book, whatever money you have. They know we have zero chance of defending ourselves against a criminal.” . . .

They sum up legislative debate this way: 

Twenty-one states ban carrying a concealed weapon on school grounds, 24 states leave it up to the university.  Earlier this year, Colorado’s Supreme Court, ruled in favor of Students for Concealed Carry. They argued the University of Colorado’s  prohibition on guns violated the state’s concealed carry law, students are now allowed to exercise their right to bear arms. A year earlier a state Court of Appeals overruled an Oregon University System prohibition on the carry of firearms. . . . 

Left out of their discussions are the recent changes in Wisconsin and Mississippi.

Another piece appears in the WSJ and raises the canard that "college campuses creates a potentially combustible situation, given the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse among college students."  Yet, no one actually points to any cases where this type of incident has occurred.  An article is also available from the New York Times available here.