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In the United States of America, in the constitution it states: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed (Strasser, M. R. 2008, July 01). This statement, and its interpretation, has caused for hot debate since its founding.
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Crimes on college campuses can happen at any time. One of the most feared acts of violence that occur on college campuses is a shooting. The shooting at Virginia Tech University in 2007 is the most notable in history.The horrific act ignited state interest in legislation that would allow concealed weapons on campuses ("Guns on campus," 2016). This was one of the deadliest shootings in America, creating a sense of panic and insecurity among the American government and college campuses.
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One day following the shooting at Virginia Tech, a group called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus was formed in several states by students that advocated for protection and defense against an active shooter while on campus. Before the shooting, no one pressed for such an idea.
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In 2009, Michigan State University supported to change its ruling concerning concealed campus carry. Formerly, guns were not allowed to be seen or concealed on campus. The Trustees of the University voted to permit guns to be carried throughout camps, as long as the weapons stayed out of buildings throughout campus. The Board of Trustees made the decision so that MSU campus policies were better aligned with state law (Guns on campus: Campus action. 2012, March).
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In the years to follow the mass shooting at Virginia Tech University, several states overruled their banning of guns from campus. Their “no guns” was overruled due to the conflict of the state’s concealed carry law. All 50 states allow citizens to carry concealed weapons if they meet certain state requirements (Guns on campus: Campus action. 2012, March). While many campuses allow for campus carry, there are restricted areas in which they cannot enter if they are carrying a concealed weapon.
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The law does not allow open carry of the weapon to be carried on campus. An individual must uphold a license to carry a concealed handgun. You must be 21 years of age to carry a license. Certain areas and campus buildings are restricted.
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On June 1, 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott contracted Senate Bill 11, named “campus carry,” into law. Beginning Aug. 1, 2016, the law sets in motion licensed holders to carry a concealed handgun on public university campuses (An Update on Campus Carry Rules and Implementation 2016, July 29).
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It came as no surprise that not everyone was on board with campus carry. This was true for several protesters that made news headlines for protesting with sex toys at UT Austin. The protesters claimed they were fighting “absurdity with absurdity”.Their overall mission was to spread awareness in the hopes other college campuses take a stand as well.
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Campus Carry has impacted both private and public institutions across the nation. Along with safety concerns, one noticeable absence from the bill, however, is the lack of requirements detailing how the likely costs of upgrading campus security facilities will be funded, an issue that has plagued other states allowing concealed campus carry (Arant, M.).
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In the future, I predict there will be more protests against the SB 11 bill. Although fairly new, the new policy has yet to prove its effectiveness. Only time will tell how campus carry will affect institutions and the students that walk among them.
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Arant, M.(n.d.) Concealed Campus Carry Laws May Mean Big Costs for Public Universities. Retrieved September 17, 2017, from http://www.csg.org/pubs/capitolideas/enews/cs20_1.aspx
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An Update on Campus Carry Rules and Implementation. (2016, July 29). Retrieved September 17, 2017, from https://campuscarry.utexas.edu/
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Guns on campus: Campus action. (2012, March). National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/guns-on-campus-campus-action.aspx
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Guns on campus: Overview. (2017, September 17). National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/guns-on-campus-overview.aspx
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Strasser, M. R. (2008, July 01). Second Amendment. Retrieved September 17, 2017, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment
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The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved from http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/
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BREAKING: National Concealed Carry Reciprocity. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?biw=1242&bih=557&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=concealed+campus+carry&oq=concealed+campus+carry&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i8i30k1.170578.178008.0.178227.28.26.1.0.0.0.235.2201.16j5j1.22.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..5.23.2200...0j0i67k1j0i24k1.0.qCtBFKNIcoA#imgdii=_DTqS4YMU9nCqM:&imgrc=xY5A3WfRV0m0yM:
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Campus Carry FAQ-University of Houston-Downtown. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+campus+carry&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjX8LrF4K3WAhVG_4MKHZoPDnEQ_AUIDSgE&biw=1242&bih=602#imgrc=zulWdtVfMG98rM:
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Concealed-carry bill aims to allow firearms on college campuses. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?biw=1242&bih=602&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=concealed+campus+carry+in+texas&oq=concealed+campus+carry+in+texas&gs_l=psy-ab.3...53259.54684.0.54984.10.10.0.0.0.0.101.678.7j1.8.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..3.0.0....0.wC-O6QRgSHE#imgrc=tvo7hX2QKhjb9M:
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Guns on Campus.[Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=Guns+on+campus&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiBzcnL5q3WAhVp64MKHTblB-kQ_AUICygC&biw=1242&bih=602#imgrc=K7zD2F_ZAOi2VM:
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Law of the Land. [Photograph] Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=law+of+the+land&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi41fjB063WAhVDilQKHa05CcIQ_AUICygC&biw=1242&bih=602#imgrc=wq0gf8eIde1RtM:
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Michigan State University - Wikipedia. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=michigan+state+university&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwizwrmlu63WAhVFTCYKHfKlAmMQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1242&bih=602#imgrc=7wH4kUtw2ZGEcM:
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UT-Austin Students Break Out The Sex Toys For Gun Protest. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=protesting+campus+carry&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlzq2l6a3WAhWm14MKHWvTAPYQ_AUICygC&biw=619&bih=584#imgrc=7nTHlGSon6nT4M:
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Virginia Tech Shooting. [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=virginia+tech+shooting&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjT-__nrq3WAhWiiFQKHRchBDYQ_AUICygC&biw=619&bih=584#imgrc=tMA6_w2qsJ0yCM:
