Rachel Decker
The Paw Print
Worries over gun safety and demands for stricter gun control laws have been talked about in light of the flurry of school shootings. The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting brought up many questions as to what should be done concerning school safety.
Adams State University’s very own Chief of Campus Police, Dr. Joel Shults, was more than willing to talk about statistics related to gun control and gun violence, and what Adams State has done to prepare for the worst—a school shooting.
“Lately, people have been harboring this emotional, almost hysterical response to gun control,” Shults says. “The shock of the Sandy Hook shooting was terrible, yes, but to use that event to throw society into a panic and rally against guns, it’s just not rational.”
As of late, anti-gun lobbyists argue that schools have become dangerous, and that tighter control should be put on assault rifles in particular. However, as Shults has pointed out, once the statistics are analyzed, it has become clear that assault rifles are not the problem. Data collected in 2010 by the Criminal Justice Information Services Division shows the facts behind the hysteria.
Statistically, there is a one in a million chance that someone will be killed in a school shooting. There is more of a chance of dying from a lightening strike than a mass shooting. Out of 13,000 murders in 2010, 358 were committed with rifles. That is only a broad generalization of every rifle, however, not separating for assault rifles specifically. Even though this is a large number, rifles were not the most popular weapon of choice in murders.
373 murders were committed with a shotgun—the very weapon that President Obama recommends for home protection. 540 people were killed with blunt objects, such as baseball bats or table legs. An astounding 1,740 victims were killed with a knife. Surprisingly, 745 murders were committed by ‘personal weapons’, such as hands and feet. To put that in perspective, 207 more people were kicked and beaten to death than shot by an assault rifle. Mass shootings that involved multiple victims only accounted for 5.8% of murders in 2010.
“I could be persuaded to go along with stricter gun control laws if they were well-justified…” Shults says. “However, people are not in a right state of mind to make such decisions. If laws are created on irrational impulses based on fear and anger, nothing will be improved; it will only be made worse. Fear of crime is much higher than the act of a crime actually is. Perceptions sway fear.”
On campus, there have been voiced worries of how prepared Adams State is for an active-shooter scenario. Shults assures the student body that all the officers are trained and ready for anything that might happen.
“All our officers have had extensive training for such scenarios, and I am confident that my team is prepared to handle any offense that comes our way. Adams State is safe.”
What’s Been Said…