College Professor Seeks Right to Carry on Campus
Russ Chastain 09.22.15
With any decay of morals comes a lack of value for life. This leads to an increase in violence, as fewer people are taught to value the lives of their fellow humans.
For the rest of us, this means we have to be more vigilant than ever in defending ourselves, our loved ones, and any unfortunate folks who may fall victim in our presence. It’s just common sense: If you need a gun, you need a gun.
Another bit of common sense: Criminals break laws. Every day, people break laws against theft, assault, rape, and murder. None of those people will hesitate to also break gun laws.
If you live in today’s world, you will probably need a gun at some point. And although I sincerely hope I will never see the need to use a firearm against another human being, I want that option to exist if that need should arise.
University of Missouri (UM) associate professor of law Royce de R. Barondes agrees and has reportedly filed a lawsuit challenging the UM’s restrictive gun policy, which states that “the possession of firearms on university property is prohibited except in regularly approved programs or by university agents or employees in the line of duty.”
Earlier this year, a recent change to the Missouri state constitution was upheld in court. Amendment 5 was voted on in 2014 and declared that “the right to keep and bear arms is a unalienable right and that the state government is obligated to uphold that right.”
Now, Barondes seeks fair treatment under that constitutional amendment. Attorney Jennifer Bukowsky is representing him in this case.
The university’s rule is so obviously in violation of our state’s constitution, we see this case as being the best vehicle to protect one of our nation’s very first freedoms — our freedom to self-defense.
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We aim to act to give actual content and impact to our amended constitution, so we’ll have more vibrant gun rights in the eyes of the law and give the actual voters what they voted for in amending the constitution. We need to get the facts before the court so they can be interpreted more favorably toward those who lawfully possess firearms.
In April, a violent sex offender was shot and killed by UM campus police after his attempt to kidnap a woman in a nearby parking lot. The woman prevented her abduction by pulling a gun on him–something that would have been illegal on campus.
Just last week, an unarmed professor was murdered at Delta State University in Mississippi. While there’s no way to know whether he may have had the opportunity to defend himself, he should have at least had the legal ability to arm himself.
After all, our most basic human right is the right to life. We should all be afforded the opportunity to defend it.
