Some students want right to carry guns in college classrooms

[Hiram Abiff]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The recent wave of deadly shootings on college campuses has convinced some students that they should have the right to bring their own guns to class for protection.
Jordan Stover, a first-year student at the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, said the image of gunmen opening fire at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University made he and other students realize they should have a way to shoot back.
``This is the way people can level the playing field. It is the true equalizer in a situation like that,'' said Stover, who leads the IUPUI chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. He has a permit to carry a pistol in Indiana.
That national group staged protests last week in favor of allowing guns at colleges. bout 10 students wore empty holsters at IUPUI as part of the nationwide protest that saw similar demonstrations at about 500 U.S. colleges and universities. Protests also were held at Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana University's Bloomington campus and Purdue University.
But administrators say there are good reasons for the widespread college ban on concealed weapons.
``If you look at a student code, campus safety and civility is the point,'' said Karen Whitney, the vice chancellor for student life at IUPUI.