“While I believe it is an extremely controversial topic at the moment, I feel like there should be a right for us to maybe defend ourselves in any case that we find ourselves in a bad situation. You know, there’s been a lot of shootings lately and you don’t want to find yourself at a disadvantage. It is our right to carry guns, so might as well use them for protection as long as we are using them for the right thing and not anything else that is dangerous. There will be people that take advantage of this law and will want to commit crime against other people but I feel that is what we have the police for. So, as long as we are under their protection, then we have somebody to protect ourselves with, so that’s good as well.”
Political science sophomore
“On the issue of open carry on campus, my opinion is kind of the same as on the issue of open carry literally anywhere else, where I feel that the only advantage that the general public has against someone who means to do them harm with a gun–a shooter who means to commit mass homicide–is that they can see the gun and they can react, they can run, they can go and find authorities. They can take whatever action they need in order to protect themselves. If open carry continues to be the law of the land, then seeing people holding a gun will no longer become novel, they will no longer react to it, they will see it as commonplace and that just makes it easier for someone to commit mass murder.”
Edinburg High School concurrent enrollment student
“Well to be honest, I don’t see how it’s a problem. I think a really big thing is that we have the liberty to do that. I mean, obviously, it’s one of our amendments isn’t it? The right to bear arms. And I feel like if you’re taking our right to bear arms, you’re taking away sort of a portion of our self-defense, ’cause, I mean, anything’s out there and I’m not saying that you have to go shoot somebody. But [for] some people, it’s nice to have. And you know, guns don’t kill people. Guns in the wrong hands kill people. So, I really think if you’re kinda gonna take away my freedom and you’re gonna say that I can’t have something to protect myself, I don’t know that I want to be with you. Because if you’re not gonna let me defend myself, if you’re not gonna let me feel free, feel relaxed and know that I can take care of myself, then why would I want to be there?”
Manufacturing engineering freshman
“Well, I think campus carry should not be allowed on any university due to the fact that it might increase the chances of shootings and I think it would put the students and the teachers and the faculty at risk of any harm, like if the students were allowed to carry guns in school.”
–Compiled by Ana Cahuiche and Gabriel Mata
