OUR VIEW: Gun policy should not be legislated

Last week, the Third District Court told the University of Utah that their policy of banning all weapons from campus, even if a person had a concealed weapon permit, violated state statutes.

Also last week, a man went on a shooting spree on the campus of a Montreal, Quebec, campus that killed one woman and injured 19 other people.

Do weapons have a place in schools? The obvious answer to this question for elementary and high school students is no. But what about institutions of higher education? What about USU?

We’re told to say no to drugs, but somehow weapons on campus are permissible in some cases.

With the Edith Bowen Laboratory School, other daycare facilities and many couples with children on campus, weapons are simply a bad idea.

People carry concealed weapons for a variety of reasons, but on a college campus, there is no real place for them. The police are there for the protection of students, but when individuals have their own weapons, it creates a more dangerous environment for the rest of the student body.

While almost all weapon owners carry and use their weapons responsibly, there are a few that do not. The possible inconvenience of leaving a weapon at home does not outweigh the importance of the safety of students, faculty and staff.

Can shootings like the one in Montreal be prevented by a no-weapons policy? Nobody knows, but we don’t think weapons have a place in an academic setting, especially one where children and unarmed people may be present.

Not only are weapons on campus a danger to others, the District Court’s decision to limit the U of U’s campus policy against weapons is shortsighted and detrimental to the university.

U of U and other universities that would like to implement similar rules should have the power to determine what policies they feel are the most beneficial for their campus and the safety of all students.