A new editorial from the Harvard Crimson claims campus carry is an awful idea because college students’ brains aren’t finished developing. Also, they’re drunk a lot of the time.
This is not parody:
No Guns on CampusSex toys are only loosely related to safety, but at the University of Texas, they have become instruments of protest against state legislation forcing public campuses to accept concealed carry of handguns. The legislation took effect on Aug. 1, the 50th anniversary of UT Austin’s clock tower massacre, one of America’s deadliest mass shootings.The law’s supporters take the stance that concealed carry is a part of their Second Amendment rights. But if gun proponents truly want to maximize safety, measures other than the further proliferation of arms should be sought out. Put bluntly, making college students in the tumultuous years between late adolescence and full-fledged adulthood the first line of defense for Texas’ most esteemed public institutions is a questionable means of making the state’s campuses safer.Neurology confirms college students’ dubious decision-making abilities. The frontal lobes, the area of the brain responsible for ultimate decision-making, may not even fully develop until the 30s, and one of the last areas to mature. While this lagged development should not exempt college students from all responsibilities, Texas ought to reconsider the prudence of relying on gun-toting 20-somethings for campus safety.The environment of undergraduate life itself also gives ample reason to question the wisdom of concealed carry. Alcohol and drugs are undeniable parts of college life, and combined with unfinished brain development these mind-altering substances could easily lead to accidents.
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