By Sean Schauer
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 2, 1997

Revoke the no weapons policy

Editor:

Thomas Jefferson once said that the difference between a subject and a citizen is a gun. So what does that make us as U of A students, technically we are adults and have the right under the second amendment to keep and bear arms. But wait, as soon as we step on campus we must give up our citizenship and become the subject of the board of regents who say that we cannot carry any type of weapons on campus.

With the recent concerns for campus safety and security it seems that having an armed student body would be a very good idea indeed. Let's face it if a violent criminal is looking for a hunting ground they'll see the U of A as a prime target since we have signs declaring that there are plenty of young defensless individuals on campus. Even if not everyone on campus was armed the possibility of someone being armed would make most criminals think twice about attacking or robbing someone on campus.

Then we have the problem of defining what a weapon is, I myself have been trained over the years how to use various items as weapons, items that one might not consider weapons, and then there is the problem that a friend of mine faces, he's a third degree black belt and by law is considered a deadly weapon, how can he continue to keep coming to campus everyday. In short, the way I see it, if we want a more secure campus we need to revoke that stupid no weapons zone policy and allow students to carry the means to defend themselves, and allow us to be citizens again, not subjects.

"An armed society is a polite society," Rob Gray

Sean Schauer
Engineering Physics Sophomore