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Persuasive Essay
Persuasive Essay
Comm/215
University of Maryland Protest Militarization of Campus Police
Students at the University of Maryland are protesting campus police officers carrying guns. The police officers were armed with guns on Monday, November 24, 2014. Some leaders felt the 50 M-16 rifles were needed because of the university's nuclear engineering program. Although, federal law mandates that those who safeguard nuclear regulatory commissions must be trained and armed with weapons, this can have a very negative affect on the university and its students.
Guns being carried on campus whether by students or law enforcement can lead to an escalation in violent crimes. There is no sure way to secure the firearms and that opens the door for them to be stolen and misused. Additionally, the presence of firearms may make students feel uncomfortable and unsafe. The presence of guns on campus might also drastically distract students from their studies.
Further more, it could lead to more students considering carrying their own firearms, which could result in more intentional or unintentional shootings.
Another consideration to firearms on campus is that if not securely protected and monitored it could result in an increased number of suicides by university students. Students who are under age and unable to obtain their own firearm may be motivated and eager to steal the weapons for personal reasons. The inability to guarantee the necessary protection and security around these weapons should have been a priority before the decision was made to arm campus police officers them. These firearms on campus could also cause great alarm for the parents of students attending this university.
It may be true that firearms are essential to personal freedom and community protection but it is also true that they are instruments for mayhem and violence. The need for firearms...