After the attack on the campus of Ohio State University, where an Islamic refugee attacked people with a knife and then with a car, a new push has emerged for a bill that would allow concealed-carry permit holders to carry a gun on college campuses in the state of Ohio.
According to Ryan Borgemenke, an Ohio State University student who has a concealed carry permit, “The fact that you can carry on campus, maybe, would give the criminal, or whoever, something else to think about prior to ever wanting to do that, but then again, criminals aren’t the most rational people anyway.”
“The idea of a lot of people walking around campus with firearms is just terrifying to me,” said Angelina Vega, a third-year law student at Ohio State.
Vega gave her opinion on what she calls “controversial” legislation during Wednesday’s Senate hearing. Vega was a former police officer at the University of Texas-San Antonio and said that Monday’s attack would have been even more terrifying if other students were armed.
“I know how it would be terrifying to go to an active shooter situation and not know who it is, who is the active shooter because other people have weapons out also,” said Vega.
But Katelin Nealeigh, President of Buckeyes for Concealed Carry, disagrees. “They should be able to defend themselves still,” she said. “Just because they are a student doesn’t mean they should not be able to protect themselves.”
Nealeigh beleives that House Bill 48 is a step in the right direction. That’s because she and the members of Buckeyes for Concealed Carry are trying to change what she calls “the university opt-in clause that would allow universities to choose whether students would be able to campus carry of not,” she said.
Carrying a concealed handgun at a daycare or airport would also be permitted under the bill. Senator Bill Coley says he’s confident that the final bill will pass sometime next week. The bill is a breath of fresh air to handgun and second amendment enthusiasts who say that no one or organization should have the power to forbid second amendment rights – even schools – and to those who point out that mass shootings have been prevented or lessened in degree when a concealed handgun carrier has been nearby. Furthermore, it is gun free zones that have shown special vulnerability to mass shootings in recent years.
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