Robert Siegel: Guns don’t belong on campuses
The recent murders at other colleges should remind us of a bad law passed by our legislature. Students in North Carolina are allowed to keep concealed weapons in their cars on UNC campuses. This is a disaster waiting to happen.
Guns have no place where learning promotes the free exchange of ideas. Guns should not be readily available in a setting where a fair amount of alcohol consumption takes place. I can imagine a heated argument becoming lethal with a firearm close at hand.
It’s also abundantly clear that we do not have adequate background checks for the mentally ill, and with this law a disturbed person has a weapon nearby that can kill.
Two years ago at East Carolina University, the faculty senate passed a resolution asking for the UNC system to reject weapons on campus. The resolution was vetoed by our chancellor, who has an absolute power not given to any elected branch of government. How would a poli-sci text explain university exceptionalism to democracy to student readers?
This law ignores the safety of students and faculty on campuses.
Robert Siegel
Associate professor, East Carolina University
Greenville
This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Robert Siegel: Guns don’t belong on campuses."