A loose canon

162 days into the 2016 year and the U.S. has already seen 133 mass shootings, including the worst in recent American history. In the Washington Monthly article "Just Say No to Guns on Campus" published June 16, author Kara Bilgin makes the point that allowing guns on campus will simply increase the gun-related violence in the country.

By publishing her article a mere four days after the Orlando shooting, Bilgin hopes to sway her liberal and grieving audience against the "campus carry" legislation with statistics and cogent reasoning. Bilgin herself seems to be a Democrat because of her stance on gun laws-- Republicans are well-known for their strong feelings in favor of such rights. In addition, Bilgin mentions her position as a Dean to prove to the audience that she has a special insight into the lives of college students. Eight states, including Texas and Mississippi, have already passed "campus carry" laws. According to Bilgin, this is "a terrible idea."

Bilgin's argument is built around three main reasons against "campus carry" laws. The first is that the innumerable stress college students face these days makes them more "prone to rash" decisions. The second is the ubiquitous alcohol abuse on campuses is already causing a wide range of issues from injury and suffering grades to assault and death. and guns would merely add to these problems. Thirdly, passing these laws would only increase the present issue of sexual misconduct and date rape. Bilgin backs up each of these claims with an abundance of conclusive facts and figures.

On the other hand, Bilgin does not mention any stats about increased violence specifically from one of the eight states that already passed the legislation. While her argument is both cohesive and convincing, it is missing vital information-- how are those states being affected? Without these details, her argument is nothing more than well-reasoned speculation. Gun control has become a notorious debate between Democrats and Republicans that usually ends with no real changes, but since this article was posted during the aftermath of a horrific shooting, only time will tell if gun laws will face real modifications.