Worried About Your Safety? Transfer to the U!

This article was submitted to the BYU Political Review shortly after CNN had posted a story on the University of Utah's policy of allowing guns on campus (which, naturally, was written in light of th NIU tragedy). For obvious reasons, this article was not printed, as BYU does not look to kindly upon anything that criticizes its policies.

Let it be known, I am a dyed-in-the-wool BYU fan and alumnus. As such, I have always held a healthy disdain for all things Ute. I proudly wear blue in Utah County, I cheer like a lion against their “sins-as-scarlet” -red-uniformed athletes, and I point out to my SLC buddies that Harline and Collie are still open. Yet in light of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois and the ensuing debates regarding guns on campus, I am forced to utter something I thought I would never in my life be guilty of saying: “If you are worried about your safety from shootings at BYU, then you’d better put in for a transfer to the U.” Hmmm… upon further inspection, that sentence contains two elements I thought I’d never declaim. Let me address the first part of that statement.

The teachings and quotes of Joseph Smith had always been a favorite subject of mine while growing up. I was especially enamored with his discourses and one-liners regarding the sacredness of the US Constitution, and it was a great source of pride for me to know both that the Constitution was written by inspired men, and that my church was prophesied to be its greatest champion. So when I enrolled at BYU, I was sure I was going to enter an atmosphere that matched the constitutional ideals so loved by the Prophet himself. And then I am told that one of my most fundamental rights as an American was prohibited on campus: NO GUNS ALLOWED!

Okay, I’ll admit, at the time, it didn’t really bother me that much. As a freshman, I neither owned a gun nor knew much of anything about the 2nd Amendment. Furthermore, I was also sure that BYU was a haven of Zionistic love and happiness in a sea of unrighteous Sunday-shoppers (gimme a break; freshman, remember!). So I gave little thought to the fact that a Constitutional guarantee was being completely disregarded, at least until I began to educate myself on the matter. This education, coupled with the recent shootings at college campuses in the US, has awakened me to the fact that BYU, with its current gun ban, not only violates a natural right, but creates an easy target for a disgruntled student/teacher/postal worker/Jackson County-Missourian.

It may be of interest to know that, like BYU, the campuses at Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech had strict gun bans; in fact, when anti-gun legislation made the gun-ban effective at VT, spokesman Larry Hinckler said “…this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus." Indeed. The gun ban was only effective in disarming those who might have had the moral fortitude to stand up to the aggressors. It did nothing to stop the criminal. It never does. So when I make the assumption that some might fear for their safety at the Lord’s University, I do so with the knowledge that the measures leveled to curb violence have only made it easier to get the job done.

And this leads me to second part of my deplorable declaration: transfer to Utah. By now, I’m sure the CNN.com headline “Utah Students Hide Guns, Head to Class” has grabbed some attention among those in Provo. Yes, despite unconstitutional efforts to ban guns at state-sponsored universities, their student body is still allowed have handguns in their possession on campus. And no, the hyperbolic assertions made by pro-gun ban supporters of students getting into shootouts over bad grades, bad food, and bad football teams (couldn’t help it) have not occurred.

Instead, things have remained… uneventful. That’s the idea. Suicidal students bent on taking down as many others as possible will, by human nature, avoid the areas where they either know or even have the slightest inkling that their onslaught will be met with returned gunfire. Instead, they head for easy prey, i.e. gun-free zones like the VT and NIU campuses. Let’s say, hypothetically, that man who bears a grudge against the college elite decides he will wage carnage at a university in the state of Utah. Where is he most likely to head? Knowing full well that students at the U both have and exercise their right to carry, he will follow the path of least resistance. Sure, the police will get the bad guy, eventually. The police ALWAYS get the bad guy… eventually.

Now, does this make the U invincible? Not at all. A very determined killer will still take his chances on an armed campus, and yes, even a law-abiding Concealed Carry holder could go bonkers and use his legally purchased weapon to terrorize his school. But the likelihood of this happening is significantly reduced, and the chances of a killer meeting armed obstacles in the path of his spree are much higher, and more likely to spare the lives of the innocent. In short, it just makes the U safer.

I feel that those supporting campus gun-bans fail to grasp two simple axioms: life will have its tragedies, and criminals, by their definition, break laws. Ergo, what sense does it make to enact a law that tries to eliminate gun-related tragedy when criminals will just break them anyway? Why does it seem more quixotic to entrust the defense of the people to the people than to put strict gun-laws in place and then expect everyone to play nicely? How can it be morally correct to disarm a student body and leave the rescue to units who cannot respond until the carnage is well underway? If one can exert enough faith in his fellow-citizens to expect him to obey the law, then he can exert that same faith in that citizen to own and carry a firearm while obeying that law. Bad stuff will happen to good people. It just will. It is only fair and natural to give them a fighting chance to stop it themselves.

The Constitution has explicitly given us the right to defend ourselves, not having to rely on the grace of the State. Power comes from the people, not vice versa. The Utah state Supreme Court is one of the few in America that has understood this concept correctly. Sadly, as a private institution, BYU is able to ignore these rulings and arbitrarily remove certain of the Bill of Rights, an idea that would make the Founders roll in their graves. So again, I must reiterate that if you feel uncomfortable about your inability to defend yourself at the Y, make a b-line for the U.