Last month, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the Oregon University System doesn’t have the jurisdiction to keep guns off their campuses, renewing the debate over whether firearms belong in places of learning.
LCC– though it is not part of the Oregon University System, has a policy allowing students with concealed weapons permits to bring their firearms to campus. LCC employees are prohibited from carrying a firearm on school grounds, including public safety officers.
It is the position of the editorial board that guns have no place on campus and are better off being left at home. Every student has the right to learn in a safe environment without worrying that his or her classmate is carrying a firearm.
According to the college’s current crime report, LCC is a fairly safe campus. There were no murders, manslaughter cases, sex offenses or robberies on campus during the 2010 school year, and only one aggravated assault. Why would someone feel the need to bring a gun to campus?
As an editorial board, we support the college’s policy on not arming public safety, even with allowing permit holders to carry guns on campus.
It also doesn’t look like that practice will change any time soon. Manager of Public Safety Jace Smith said his department and the administration have had no talks about revisiting their policy after the court’s ruling.
So we’re asking you, reader. If you hold a permit, do you ever think about bringing a gun to school, if so what purpose does it serve you? If you don’t need it, don’t bring it.
