Regardless of where you went to school before college, it is likely that at one point or another, you had to practice a school shooting drill.
With the proposed Campus Carry bill that passed the New Hampshire House and is making its way through the Senate, The Equinox is concerned for the safety of our campus community.
If passed, House Bill 1793 would prevent all higher education institutions in N.H. from placing any guidelines on firearms or non-lethal weapons.
“Prohibits public colleges and universities from regulating the possession or carrying of firearms and non-lethal weapons on campus. Allows persons aggrieved by public colleges or universities that implement such regulations to sue such institutions for damages and injunctive relief.”
This bill would allow anyone to walk down Appian Way with a firearm in hand, all the while campus safety officers are not permitted to have any weapon. This would allow for all students, faculty, staff and anyone in the vicinity of Keene State College to be put in harm’s way under a variety of circumstances.
The lack of safety guidelines in this bill proposes an even greater risk for the misuse of firearms.
Another concern is mental health amongst college students.
“Fifteen percent of all deaths by suicide are among individuals ages 10 to 24 years old, making it the second leading cause of death for this age group,” according to Inside Higher Ed.
Non-lethal weapons like pepper spray are a less deadly option for defending yourself, but allowing firearms on campus poses danger to yourself and others.
According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, almost 50% of college students or 4.2 million students ages 18 to 25 reported that they drank alcohol in the past month. Combining a drunk college student and a firearm is the last thing needed on a college campus, let alone one in N.H., where the state is first in alcohol consumption across the nation.
Supporters of this bill argue for their Second Amendment rights, but we do not see a need for lethal weapons in a learning environment. What is the educational value of having a gun in a classroom? Stress levels among students would only increase because instead of focusing on class, you will only feel the haunting shadow of a pistol in the jean pocket of your classmate. It is also important to remember that the Childhood Development Center is on campus, where children under five are learning.
There are countless scenarios where having a firearm on campus would only escalate a situation or create another, whether that be a student believing they are a hero for stepping into a conflict with their gun or a misfire when handling one. But for every example and ‘what if?’ there is a simple solution: Stop the Campus Carry bill. This bill claims to solve problems that don’t even exist.
Three hundred twenty-seven people are shot in the United States every day. With current gun laws and proposed legislation, we are only continuing to normalize gun violence instead of trying to regulate it. If the N.H. Senate and Gov. Kelly Ayotte pass this bill, it will add to the pile of students who have suffered from gun violence. Students who thought school could be safe will walk around like it’s a battlefield, waiting for the next shot to be fired.
