College is about receiving an education, making life-long friends, and growth. But now, students are allowed to carry a concealed weapon on campus in ten states. Sounds absurd, yet it is  true. According to Businessinsider.com, Utah was the first state to allow guns on campus in 2004.

Allowing guns on campus is dangerous and silly. There have been 24 college shootings alone between 2015 and 2016. According to a study conducted by the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, 28 percent of the shooters were students, nine percent were former students and four percent were employees. So, why are guns  allowed?

People believe that guns should be allowed on campus because students’ second amendment rights should not be stopped while they attend college. Many argue this can be a way for female college students to protect themselves against sexual assault on campus.

I believe, that guns are dangerous. Many do not have the mental state of mind to carry a concealed weapon and can be a danger to themselves and their peers. Young adults who attend college are already stressed and having a concealed weapon on them may turn into a university’s worst nightmare.

The decision to carry a concealed weapon on campus in the state of Connecticut is up to the discretion of individual universities and colleges. At any moment, colleges in the state can decide it is okay for their students to carry a weapon, which could be a mistake on their part.

Attending a university is about the academic excellence students wish to accomplish. Carrying a concealed weapon on campus would take away from students feeling safe on campus.

April Anderson, a senior at the University of New Haven, says that students being allowed to carry a concealed weapon is crazy.

“I would not feel comfortable on this campus if that was allowed,” Anderson stated.

College campuses should be a safe haven for students, where they are free to state their opinions, have heated debates in a classroom, and feel comfortable. It should not be a place where they have to be scared of their peers who choose to carry a weapon on them. Students carrying a concealed weapon on them may instill fear in their peers, professors, and even faculty members.

Families send their kids off to college with the hopes of them receiving an unforgettable college experience. Students being allowed to carry a concealed weapon on campus takes away from that. It leaves people worried and uneasy to know that any of their peers may be carrying a weapon.

We should learn from the mass shootings that have already taken place on other college campuses; such as the Virginia Polytechnic Institute shooting in 2007, Lone Star College shooting in 2013, and others. These cases should teach us that enabling students to carry a concealed weapon on campus will only pose danger and not safety. It is already hard to lower the sexual assault percentages on campuses, let’s not make it more difficult for students to find comfort and happiness within the four or more years they attend a university.