Georgetown students defend Second Amendment, call on university to arm police officers
Washington DC April 24 2018 In response to the ongoing debate about the safety of gun-free college campuses, students at one private university have called on their school’s administration to take necessary action to ensure both students and campus police have access to firearms as a method of self-defense.
Students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., are calling for campus administrators to fully arm the on-campus police force, in addition to allowing students the choice to carry guns for self-defense while on campus.
Currently, university regulations restrict the ability of the police to guarantee a safe environment on campus, as police officers are not given guns to carry. According to the Georgetown University Police Department, “All GUPD officers are unarmed. … Officers carry safety batons and pepper spray and are provided with a protective vest.”
These unsafe rules and regulations have not gone unnoticed by many students, and now a number of them are choosing to fight back. One student, Amelia Irivine, published a piece in the campus newspaper calling on the university to take steps to ensure the proper safety of students by allowing both the police and students to carry weapons.
“Georgetown is a university: Many of our students are over 21 and can obtain concealed carry licenses in D.C.. As such, we should consider arming not only GUPD officers, but also students and staff,” writes Irvine, who also noted that the size of the campus would also be a factor in determining law enforcement’s response time should an emergency arise.
“Our campus is not small; GUPD may not be able to stop a shooter immediately, even if armed,” wrote Irvine. “Mere minutes can make the difference between life and death for dozens of people. As such, we should allow students and staff to act as their own first lines of defense.”
Irvine also highlighted the potential deterrence effect that campus carry would have on shooters who are seeking infamy as a result of their criminal actions. According to research by criminologist Adam Lankford, many mass shooters are driven by the sense of infamy that comes with their crimes, especially if the number of victims is high. Having a campus full of potential good guys with a gun could deter such criminals from their campus.
Washington Examiner
