[Scotty]

I never said that random guy #97 will never use it.  I said that using it represents a breakdown of the situation that more than likely falls squarely on the shoulders of the carrier.  You're still putting words into my mouth.  Using it represents a failure, plain and simple.  That does not preclude its use being necessary in select situations, nor does it automatically preclude its use in other situations.

EDIT: Nor do I believe that a ban would be effective in any situation.  A criminal will not care if a weapon is banned.  Outright banning weapons is counterproductive at the highest level.  You seem to be looking at my argument and discussing another that bears only a passing resemblance.

[TwentyPercentCooler]

Oh dear.

Uh...sorry for basically doing a drive-by on this thread. My intention wasn't to troll or provoke. I, personally, don't like being told where I can and cannot carry, unless there's an an overwhelmingly obvious reason that no one should have a weapon - like on an airplane. It's not about the terrorists. Good luck explaining why a window blew out and decompressed the cabin. Situations like that.

I have the right to arm bears, dammit.

[MP-Ryan]

Have we reached the point in the discussion where I can point out that numerous first-world democracies other than the US have restricted or banned both concealed and open carry, all of whom have lower homicide rates than the United States?

Permissive firearms carrying laws do not equate to lower incidences of crime.  Granted, comparing one country to another always has an element of apples-to-oranges to it.

[BlueFlames]

If only there were a public hotline that let us call in drone/bunker busting/tactical thermonuclear strikes on potential muggers none of this would be a problem and people would have to respect my iPhone

That post of mine that turned into a mass of statistics was originally going to be a glib remark about escalation and suitcase nukes.

I, personally, don't like being told where I can and cannot carry, unless there's an an overwhelmingly obvious reason that no one should have a weapon.

Universities have an extremely densely packed population of young adults, in their first years away from the guidance of their parents and the support networks they had built in their hometowns, under a host of stresses (and with a variety of privileges) that they've never had to deal with before.  I'll also amend that previous stat dump with another table from the FBI:  homicide rates by age.  Among the general population, university-aged adults are the most homicidal population in the United States.  It sounds like a powder keg, yet university campuses tend to have lower violent crime rates than their host cities.  Perhaps the absence/near-absence of weapons helps prevent incidents of on-campus violence from occurring or escalating.

I want to bring back something you said in your earlier post:

This is why people should be allowed to concealed carry on campus.

I assumed "this" to refer to the crime anecdotes that had been posted in the thread, up to that point, making the meaning of your message one that campuses would have fewer incidents of violent crime with greater availability of weapons.  Now, you've said that you just don't like being told when you can and can't carry.  Did I misinterpret your first post, or are you backpedalling?

If you do think campuses would be safer with greater availability of weaponry, do you have any data to back up that position?

If you're backing off of that position, do you think that, "I, personally, don't like being told where I can and cannot carry," is adequate reason for any/all university campus(es) to rescind their current weapon policies, despite the wider-reaching consequences?

[FlamingCobra]

DATE: July 14, 2012 4:14:52 AM EDT
Crime Warning
Crime Warning Communication

Reported Offense: On 07/14/2012 at approximately 2:45 am, a group of 4 students were approached by 2 dark complexion males and 2 light complexion males in a sliver sedan as they were walking on Dan Allen Dr. in the vicinity of the West Dunn Building. The suspects implied that they had a gun and told the students to empty their pockets. The students refused and the suspects drove off. No weapon was displayed, no force was used and no injuries resulted from the encounter. The suspects fled the scene south on Dan Allen Dr. No other description of the suspects or the vehicle is available.
Contact NC State University Campus Police if you have any information that will help with this case, 919.515.3000 or 911 for emergencies.

[Klaustrophobia]

typical idiots trolling college campus

[TwentyPercentCooler]

I don't mean to necro, but I don't think my post deserves an entirely new thread.

We may get some important evidence in this discussion soon: http://www.npr.org/2012/08/23/159921428/u-of-colorado-to-students-no-guns-in-dorms-please

The University of Colorado is now allowing students with concealed carry permits to carry their weapons on campus, as long as the dorms and sporting events stay gun-free.

[Thaeris]

I, frankly, am not concerned by that.

At my prior university (which mind you, was in Arizona), a lot of students brought their guns and kept them in the trunks of their cars. I never once felt unsafe on campus, and one of my very good friends actually had an AK variant in his posession. Whoop-de-frikkin'-doo. Personal responsibility carries the day at the end, and no doubt the high concentration of ROTC cadets on campus (myself included at the time) had something to do with that.

[jr2]

I, frankly, am not concerned by that.

At my prior university (which mind you, was in Arizona), a lot of students brought their guns and kept them in the trunks of their cars. I never once felt unsafe on campus, and one of my very good friends actually had an AK variant in his posession. Whoop-de-frikkin'-doo. Personal responsibility carries the day at the end, and no doubt the high concentration of ROTC cadets on campus (myself included at the time) had something to do with that.

QFCommonSense