 "Photo: Photo illustration by Nick Kneer / IC")
According to the Ohio Attorney General’s office, the number of concealed handgun license carriers in Ohio increased to a record high of 178,240 in 2009.
The number of new concealed handgun licenses has not surpassed the number in 2004 until now, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s office. Of the roughly 179,000 Ohioans with concealed handgun licenses, there were 56,691 new regular licenses issued compared to the previous record-setting 45,497 new licenses issued in 2004.
In order to obtain a CHL, according to the Texas Concealed Handgun Association, an applicant must take a 10-hour concealed certification course, which reviews the use of force, gun safety, gun storage, dispute resolution and concealed weapon laws for the state the carrier lives in.
The applicant must also pass a 50-question test and pay a fee to the state for a background check.
UT Chief of Police Jeff Newton said people with concealed handgun licenses cannot have their weapons in “forbidden carry zones” including police stations, courthouses, airport terminals and college campuses, which operate under different laws.
These zones do not allow firearms on the premises and must be kept in a secured vehicle.
Suzann Bick, a visiting instructor of English at UT, said the growing number of licenses is “fraught with potential danger.”
Bick said this creates a higher threat of danger involving a firearm in crowded venues such as college campuses.
“The more people out there carrying guns, the more likely there will be a disaster,” she said.
According to Newton, UT has had very few reported cases of firearm-related incidents and is confident things will not change.
Carolynn Fleetwood, a freshman majoring in fine arts, said she fears restricting guns on campus to vehicles is not enough of a deterrent for violent incidents.
“Who’s to say they are going to keep them in their car, or that an incident won’t happen in the parking lot,” Fleetwood said. “I think UT could do more to make the campus safer.”
Austin Podak, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, said he is worried someone could break into a car and steal a concealed handgun if they find it.
“I feel safe on campus, but the idea that they’re on campus and in the cars makes you think about the possibilities,” Podak said.
According to Fleetwood, the only people she sees fit to carry concealed weapons anywhere on campus are police officers and professors.
“I would be okay with my professors carrying. I trust them,” she said.
Bick said it is impossible to test applicants to make sure they are fit to hold a gun.
“You think you know someone,” she said. “But look at the incident at the University of Alabama with Amy Bishop.”
According to the National Post, Amy Bishop, a Harvard graduate in neurobiology and University of Alabama professor, killed three people and injured three others in a shooting that was reportedly tied to Bishops denial for tenure.
“At first glance she is a wealthy, educated, successful woman, and she’s even a mother,” Bick said. “She is one of the last people you’d suspect of doing this. We can’t reinstall vigilante justice into our system, like back in the wild wild west.”
According to the Buckeye Firearms Association Web site, President Barack Obama is a main contributor to restrictions against the Second Amendment, which protects U.S. citizens’ right to bear firearms, and Obama has a long history of fighting against gun rights and is “possibly the most anti-gun president ever elected.”
According to the BFA Web site, some members of the firearm association believe many citizens are rushing to get these licenses before Obama outlaws them altogether.
Newton said there will always be a battle between those who support and those who oppose concealed weapon laws.
“I don’t foresee the university changing its laws about having a concealed weapon. There are too many forces fighting against the issue. To my knowledge, maybe one or two universities allow people to carry,” he said.
According to Bick, there are several factors which cause an increase in the number of licenses including violent video games, movies, fear and desensitization.
“A general acceptance of levels of violence is making people forget the real magnitude of what kind of license they are obtaining,” she said. “With certain video games, younger generations get the idea that real life is like the game, they are living in an unreal world. Well, in real life when you shoot someone, you can’t click on them with your mouse and bring them back to life.”
Despite several attempts to contact someone from the Buckeye Firearm Association, a spokesperson could not be reached for an interview.
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