STUDENT SAFETY ON CAMPUS

CONCEALED CARRY OF GUNS ON CAMPUS

By Nadia Bashir

COLUMBUS, Ohio --
There is a new push for concealed carry weapons to be legally allowed
on OSU's campus following a string of crime alerts from OSU police in
the last few weeks.

OSU's student group supporting concealed weapons on campus has
received hundreds of new requests for membership.

Ohio law and OSU policy currently prevent students from bringing
concealed weapons on campus. "If we were a campus that legally
allowed concealed carry, the victim pool would be smaller and criminals
wouldn't be so inclined to attack," said OSU sophomore Katherine Chang.

Chang lives on Pearl Street, which has been affected by the recent spike in crime.
Chang says she never considered carrying a gun before now, but the string
of recent crime alerts from OSU police changed her mind.
"If you just look at the physical aspects of me, I'm a pretty vulnerable
victim to muggings and criminals. This would be a good way for me
to protect myself," Chang said of her desire to carry a concealed weapon.

"Students, the ones who are going to walk home from the library
at 2:30 in the morning when they go home, are disarmed, and
criminals know it," said Michael Newbern, the president of the
student group "Buckeyes for Concealed Carry," a group formed last fall.
However, Newbern says in the last few weeks he has received nearly
300 requests from people who want to be new members, including some faculty.
Newbern believes the spike is in response to the string of crime
alerts recently issued by campus police. He also says allowing
concealed weapons makes the entire campus safer because they
have a deterrent effect.

"Statistics show that when you allow the populace to legally arm themselves ...
law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, criminals move someplace else.
It's all about making the victim selection process harder," Newbern said.

Those who oppose concealed weapons on campus say most college students
are not mature enough to handle guns. [Note that I began to carry a 2 inch
.38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver before I began the 3rd grade
of elementary school, with no problems. David]
OSU senior Ristina Gooden agrees most college kids should not have
guns on campus. Gooden supports conceal carry for the general public
but thinks it should not be allowed at OSU or any college campus.
"Having a concealed weapon can be a scary and dangerous thing if
you are not prepared to use it," Gooden said.
She also disagrees with the idea crime is increasing around campus.
"I think people are scared, but from what I've heard, what I've learned
from OSU PD, it's not any higher than it's ever been every other year.
I think they're just trying to notify us more often," she said.

[All emfasis and colored remarks have been added by David.]