By Morgan Allison || This month StateUniversity.com released a report ranking the top 450 colleges according to campus safety. According to the website, the study accounts for both the frequency and severity of crime on campus.
Those of us residing in Due West, S.C. are proud to say the Palmetto State is home to the fifth-safest college in America, Erskine College and Seminary. And while there’s no such thing as a crime-free campus, our beloved college comes close; according to the study’s statistics our only source of danger is the occasional theft.
While Erskine’s safety ranking (up from No. 7 a year ago) is certainly something to be proud of (and thankful for), we should all take heed to the continuing national gun debate. The future safety of our college campuses may depend on it.
This past Tuesday, in the aftermath of a shooting at a Texas college, the ongoing discussion about the issue of concealed weapons on university campuses has been rekindled.
Only a week before the shooting, a State Senator in Texas filed legislation allowing concealed handguns on the Lonestar State’s college campuses. The bill would allow faculty, other staff, and students with concealed handgun licenses to carry firearms for protection. The bill also includes a measure that would prevent individual colleges and universities from dodging the law by enacting administrative bans and/or penalties on employees or students lawfully carrying guns.
The incident in Texas – along with a few other campus shootings this month – has students and college employees divided.
In addition to Texas six states have introduced legislation allowing concealed handguns on campus this month – Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Wyoming. If legislation passes, they will join five other states – Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin – that already allow guns on campuses in varying degrees.
And by virtue of this article being posted on South Carolina’s most widely read political site, expect this state’s ban on handgun possession on college campuses to be revisited.
Some believe allowing guns on campuses will only increase violence considering popular density and the idea that college students already engage in risky behaviors like drug use and binge drinking. Others believe prohibiting concealed handguns at colleges leaves its employees and students vulnerable – an argument gaining favorability in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy.
For now, those of us in Due West will cherish our crime-free (and gun-free) campus … and hope it remains this way in the future.
Morgan Allison is a student reporter at Erskine College. Follow her on Twitter @m_allison6.
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48 comments
Quote: “And by virtue of this article being posted on South Carolina’s most widely read political site, expect this state’s ban on handgun possession on college campuses to be revisited.”
WHAT???????
….. Morgan, darling, Will Folks is now happily married.
If you have your CWP you should be allowed to carry just about anywhere, including college campuses. In fact, the only two places that are fairly legitimate to ban guns from are (1) certain government buildings/areas and (2) any private property where the owner expressly forbids it and posts notice of it.
I would even go so far as to question the bogus concept of the “Rob Me” signs. Prior to 1996, when only a connected and privileged few in SC could have a CWP, they could carry pretty much anywhere that a cop could, to include bars, churches, hospitals, and most other places. Concern over “property owners’ rights” was not taken into account and I am aware of no bad incidents resulting from this.
When the CWP law of 96 was being debated, many unnecessary points were embedded into the law to make the permits less useful to SC’s citizens by those who wanted to deny us a “shall issue” permit law. The concept of the “Rob Me” signs (No Concealable Weapons Allowed) was stupid and bogus, at very best. If your gun is truly concealed, no one need know that you have it on and it should not be any issue, whatsoever. IF, by some chance, a business owner discovers that you have a gun on and pees their pants because of it, all they should need to do is ask you to leave or go put the gun in your car. Failure to leave invokes EXISTING laws regarding trespass after notice.
I would hope that at some point, this unnecessary restriction on where you may carry is, along with the others, removed from SC law. At a minimum, I would like to see it changed to the way West Virginia does it, whereby a person can not be charged with a violation unless they refuse to leave once discovered to be carrying (which is the same as invoking existing trespass laws).
How many crimes have persons with a CWP been convicted of in South Carolina?
“Man, I sure would like to rob that bank! If only I could legally carry my weapon in there, I’d do it!”
Let’s be realistic. Neva gonna happen! Besides, college aged kids are the very age bracket that will screw CCW up for the rest of us.
…. good point, and think about it – if the average daily attendance is 12,000 and the average daily hours on campus is four hours, and for argument’s sake there are 400 students with CWP, then what are the chances that a bad person will create an incident near a CWP student who can stop him? I’ll do the math later.
….. and that would be assuming that a CWP student is standing up, not carrying any books or a laptop, not on a cell phone or texting, and not getting his keys out to get in his car.
And not drunk.
There you go with the damn foreign plastic guns again Will. Tauras guns are made in Brazil and while their team shooter, World Pistol Champion, Jesse Duff is both hot and a great shot, I don’t think that’s the image we need. (She shoots a 1911 knock off in .45 ACP btw)
Don’t you know anybody who owns a Ruger or a Colt or a Smith or a Springfield or a High point or an Auto Ordnance or a Kimber or a Browning or any of the other hundred or so US gun manufacturers? One focus of this debate needs to be the jobs created by the US gun industry.
Now about Erskine and College campuses. Since everything that happens at Erskine is preordained, it really doesn’t matter what you do about allowing weapons on campus (a Little PCA/PCUSA humor for you there).
I teach at and recruit for the Chicken Coop down town. I fully support allowing faculty/staff the right to carry concealed with a permit but disagree with allowing students the same right. My basis for that disagreement has to reasons;
– the inability to reliably secure the weapon when not actually in the student’s possession
and,
– the unpredictability of some students in their first time away from home.
Reason one could be dealt with but I don’t think reason two can be dealt with effectively. A college freshman, without parental supervision for probably the first time, in an environment where he/she will experience things they never dreamed of probably isn’t the best candidate for concealed carry. If you have a policy for one student group it should apply universally as not doing so sets you up for all manner of legal fooling around.
….. excellent post and reasoning
“Since everything that happens at Erskine is preordained, it really doesn’t matter what you do about allowing weapons on campus (a Little PCA/PCUSA humor for you there).”
haha.
Perhaps the good Colonel would like to see a picture of one of those Columbia, SC manufactured semi-automatic nine millimeter pistols that the local police chief would like to strap onto all of his patrolmen. Sorry, can’t recall the name.
That’s as patriotic as it gets.
Tongue in cheek Colonel, I enjoy your posts immensely.
Very good post Colonel! Just to clarify,both of my Springfield Armory 9mm xd and xdm handguns are made in Croatia.
I hate those crappy new FN 9mms foisted off on the CPD. It’s great that they’re made here though and the factory is very cool but FN is a perfect example of the foreign companies who’ve built plants in the US to get around the “made in the USA rules “. I have a couple of reservists who are CPD officers – they hate them. The .45 Sig the FN pistol replaced was universally loved.
Your “Springfield” XD isn’t a Springfield at all, it is an imported Hrvatski Samokres (Croatian Pistol) made by I.M. Metals as the HS2000 and imported to the US as the XD with a Springfield label.
Colonel: Pictured above the article is a Smith & Wesson M&P.
(You may now proceed to insert foot in mouth)
And on top of that, I’m not aware of very many freshmen who are eligible for a CWP in the state of South Carolina. (Must be 21? Most freshmen are 17-18). So I’m not exactly sure what the purpose of your post was. To attempt to appear knowledgeable perhaps?
Damn I hate to be wrong about a gun but you are right about the pistol USC Student – it is a Smith and Wesson M&P 40. I looked at it at home tonight with the magnification set at about 400 pct.
As for my point about a frosh not being competent to have a pistol on campus – it was a “good for the goose, good for the gander” comparison. But if you don’t think we have any 21 (or 51) year old freshman you don’t know much about the demographics of the coop. If you exclude any class you set yourself up for law suits. I am also concerned about the possibility that a less than stable student might get a hold of a legal gun because of the difficulty in securing them on campus. If your position is that you, as a “commuting student”, with a CWP, should have the right to carry – then you have a point, however we get back to the equal treatment issue.
I’ve taught at the coop for 6 years now and before that 7 for years at the mine in Charlotte – in my class, we handle historical firearms as part of the curriculum. I have about 30 years experience with firearms education, coaching and instruction – students and firearms on campus isn’t a good idea generally
Yes “T Roy” is me – I make up silly names to post smart ass comments and forgot to change it.
Haha, busted again Col. Knowitall!
There’s a ban on carrying guns on college property in SC? Apparently SCSU didn’t get the memo. Actually they don’t need a copy. Fortunately, the members of the student body, and most of the faculty, would have great difficulty in figuring out how to work a sophisticated break-action rifle or shotgun. They will have graduated before they conquer the intricacies of a weapon with moving parts. No problem there.
…. except for the trigger
Update: A van-load of mass shooters, by the name of the Shooting Ducks, was just spotted on I-26 headed Due West…
“We love gun-free zones.” It’s where we do some of our best work,” said Drake Quakenbush, head shooter. “I’d like to give a Shout Out to the most read poltical website in the state. They saved us a finders fee.
Uh oh, Big T got jokes – sort of…
…. hey, this great – I may actually start to read his posts
I’m jerkin’ it right now to her pic while watching Full Metal Jacket.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEEWE7gcPw0
…. a classic! – thanks
The answer to the question is YES.
Gotta love it: Pampered little insulated college kids who’ve never had a real job, preaching to us about what rights they don’t think we should have…
That’s Amnerica now. Obama was promoted through Harvard Law (can we see your transcripts?) on Affirmative Action…yet he wants to put his ‘boot on the neck’ of WORKING business people, who actually PRODUCE and EARN wealth…”You didn’t build that”….
And you libertarians, who think being offered the hope of leagl Dope to sell your souls, better wake up…
You want to break your back so elite sophmoric leftwing radicals and Cul-d-sac Yuppies, like FITS, run your lives, and take your money…
For the love of Christ does anyone really believe that a person on a mission to commit MURDER is going to pay attention to any laws restricting firearms?
Maybe, if,,,,,,,if the penalty for bringing a handgun into a restricted area is death, a killer may be deterred, but then if he plans to kill himself etc. etc.
Damn
Senator Feinstein.
Just what the world of journalism needs..another leftwing, status quo, cliche, ivory tower columnist…
FITS, you ain’t scared of competition for the minds of the lemmings and dolts…who buy this over-done leftwing tripe as gospel???
I think that students with CWP permits should be allowed to carry on college campuses.
Keep in mind you aren’t just worried about what happens sitting in class. Frequently you have to park your car a long way from your building, and walk back and forth. When I went to USC I would have to park in “the pit”, go through that Assembly street tunnell and then up the stairs. That area can get a little dicey at night.
Morgan,
Next time make it a point to articulate which ideology you are trying to advance. This article fails to do that. Also, what happened in Texas and how does that have anything to do with Due West? Last time I checked it wasn’t overrun with Illegal immigrants and degenerates like Texas but it has been awhile since I was in that part of God’s country…
Erskine sounds like a mini version of Red Square…if this (same leftwing cliche) is an example of their “Best and Brightest” (No offense)…it does not seem to be much original thought or critical thinking ability there…
If you were condisering Erskine for your child..this is a RED Flag to say ‘NO’…
No. No. And No! More guns anywhere is not the answer. College kids do not need to have guns on campus. Professors do not need to carry on campus. The answer is absolutely no.
BAN HAMMERS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES !
According to the FBI annual crime statistics, the number of murders committed annually with hammers and clubs far outnumbers the number of murders committed with a rifle.
This is an interesting fact, particularly amid the Democrats’ feverish push to ban many different rifles, ostensibly to keep us safe of course.
However, it appears the zeal of Sens. like Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) is misdirected. For in looking at the FBI numbers from 2005 to 2011, the number of murders by hammers and clubs consistently exceeds the number of murders committed with a rifle.
Think about it: In 2005, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 445, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 605. In 2006, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 438, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 618.
And so the list goes, with the actual numbers changing somewhat from year to year, yet the fact that more people are killed with blunt objects each year remains constant.
For example, in 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle but 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs.
While the FBI makes is clear that some of the “murder by rifle” numbers could be adjusted up slightly, when you take into account murders with non-categorized types of guns, it does not change the fact that their annual reports consistently show more lives are taken each year with these blunt objects than are taken with Feinstein’s dreaded rifle.
Another interesting fact: According to the FBI, nearly twice as many people are killed by hands and fists each year than are killed by murderers who use rifles.
The bottom line: A rifle ban is as illogical as it is unconstitutional. We face far greater danger from individuals armed with carpenters’ tools and a caveman’s stick.
And it seems fairly obvious that if more people had a gun, less people would be inclined to try to hit them in the head with a hammer.
Thanks for adding some reality to this discussion, and reinforcing my previous post, by including some factual figures. The potus and his crew are once again pushing their secret agenda through the use of fear (which in some instances could be interpreted to be terrorism).
All we are asking is to ban “assault hammers” you know! Why can’t you be satisfied with small rubber mallets? But the handle better be no longer than 8 inches, and you better keep it locked in a hammer safe! You’ll need a permit too!
I’m liking Shifty Henry more and more. Where is your like button?
Oh, and Smirks, too.
Erskine might be safe, but it is no longer educational. This once great, little, private college has been turned into a bible college thanks to a bunch of no-nothing ex-presbyterians from Columbia. What a disgrace. Ms. Allison, when will Erskine regain full accreditation?
Mr. Smirks:
How did you obtain our internal memo about rubber mallets? That is classified SECRET.
For your information the handle length limit is eight inches because 9″ is banned from possessing that weapon of destruction. However, an exception is being made to allow him to possess a roll of toilet paper on a popsicle stick.
Do you remember the fifth grade when you stuck Mrs. Gamble’s attendance book to her desk with bubble gum? We have the gum.
Sincerely,———- The Shadow of Eric Holder
Allison,
While Erskine college students maybe immature and experiment in drugs and alcohol and other risky behaviors, there are many young people( not as lucky as your friends) from the same age group that pull 3 or 4 tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. They have assault rifles and other formidable weapons, but seem to exercise good judgment in how they are used. Maybe you all could take some lessons from them.
If the expectations were higher for the college students that carried weapons on campus, I am sure
there would be more congruency in how the two groups behaved. Do you think Erskine’s proximity to Clemson is why they can’t rise above number 5 ?
Mr. Shifty Henry:
Do you remember your senior year history teacher Miss Sara Schoenbaum who had sex with our agent Mr. Herschel O’Callaghan when he was investigating your background for your Top Secret Clearance? Well, you got approved thanks to her very glowing recommendation!
Marrying your psychiatrist to cover your tracks was a clever move and you slipped under our radar, but we’re watching you now thanks to your GPS.
Sincerely,———–The Shadow of Eric Holder
…. I deny everything – and I don’t think this is funny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h96reQbfL6k