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Wednesday, December 7, 2016

IACP Resolution on Prohibition of Campus Carry

No real surprise here.  The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has often come out in favor of gun control.  Their membership is made up of  individuals who work Mayors or other municipal governing body officials who are anti-rights, so to keep their job, they tend to be too.

At the 2016 IACP Annual Conference, IACP approved the following resolution:
Prohibition of Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) on College and University Campuses
Submitted by: University and College Police Section
UCPS.05.t16

WHEREAS, our nation’s colleges and universities are bastions of freedom of expression and learning, and must continue to address the most controversial subjects of the day. These environments continue to be safe havens for discovery and growth for our nation’s young adults. Introducing concealed weapons on our nation’s campuses jeopardizes those cherished values; and

WHEREAS, based on Mother Jones' Investigation: US Mass Shootings, 1982-2016, despite high-profile shootings, homicides at our nation’s colleges and universities remain rare events. There is no credible evidence to suggest that armed students, faculty, staff and community users would make our nation’s campuses safer; and

WHEREAS, in 2013, the homicide rate at our nation’s colleges and universities was 0.1 per 100,000 of enrollment, and by comparison. the criminal homicide rate in the United States was 4.4 per 100,000. Further, the Department of Justice found that 93% of violent crimes that victimize college students occur off campus. In 2013, 21 million students were enrolled on our nation’s colleges and universities, and only 24 were fatally victimized on campus; and

WHEREAS, in a 2013 poll at 15 colleges and universities, 94 percent of faculty members opposed concealed carry on campus and in a similar 2013 poll, 79 percent of students said that they would not feel safe if concealed guns were allowed on their campus, and

WHEREAS, research shows that approximately half of our nation’s college students binge drink or abuse illegal or prescription drugs, and nearly 25 percent of college students suffer from substance abuse and dependence, therefore, leading to an increased danger by adding the availability of a firearm to persons with a reduced ability to use appropriate judgement, and

WHEREAS, suicide is the second leading cause of death for college age young adults. On average, 1,100 college students commit suicide each year while another 24,000 attempt suicide. The firearm suicide rate of 18 to 21 year-olds is nine times higher than the firearm suicide rate of people 17 and under. Suicide attempts with guns are fatal 90 percent of the time; and

WHEREAS, allowing concealed carry firearms upon our nation’s campuses would have no positive effect on campus safety and would, inversely, decrease the actual and perceived safety of our students, staff, faculty and community users; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police promotes the prohibition of concealed carry weapons upon this nation’s college and university campuses.
States like Utah and Colorado have had campus carry for a number of years without any incidents involving legally carrying students or staff.  The same can be said with the new states added to the list like Texas, which has had campus carry at four year institutions since August, and Tennessee, which allows faculty and staff to carry.  Idaho has had campus carry for the last two years.  There have been no incidents.  So, it would seem that all those stories of drunk college students that would pull their firearm to settle an argument are about as prophetic as the "blood in the streets" predictions that were common when concealed carry began being the norm in state after state.

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