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As you enter the Main Gate, beware. You will be greeted by a sign that says, "This Campus is a WEAPON FREE ZONE." Throw down your guns, remove your knives, holster your nunchaku. You've entered the UA.
Welcome to the war zone, a place where students apparently carry more than just books in their knapsacks. In case you haven't noticed, signs are being placed around campus notifying the community that the UA is a weapon free zone.
Harry Hueston II, deputy chief of the University of Arizona Police Department, says that the signs are a way of informing people of the university's "zero-tolerance" policy about weapons.
What is this campus coming to? These signs have declared our streets a weapon-free zone, and in the process have raised the level of anxiety about the danger really existent on this campus. Those who came into town for family weekend must have thought the UA was a war zone when we all know that this is far from the truth.
Look at the statistics. In 1995, there were 10 reports of weapons violations and only four resulted in arrests. Ten incidents warrant putting signs around campus as well as decals with the university's policy on every campus building?
Having signs like these is like putting signs around the Mall to let dog-owners know that they should keep their dogs on a leash. It's like putting signs in the bookstore that say "This is a THEFT-FREE ZONE." It should go without saying.
But unfortunately, there are those that carry weapons on campus and don't know the university's no-weapons policy. Yes, the signs might inform those who are ignorant of the policy that they cannot carry their weapons here.
But are these signs really a deterrent? Is a gun-toting criminal out for blood really going to think twice about these signs? Probably not, but those innocent citizens wondering why they're there probably will.
One can only hope that the signs do make a difference, however small it may be. And if they don't work to make our campus safer, why not follow the lead of our Old West counterparts and have weapons checked with the Sheriff?
Editoral Staff
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