News of a shooting on campus is a guaranteed recipe for fear and trepidation in the nation’s heart, and even more so locally when news of the shooting is as close to home as Murphree Hall at UF.
Many of you readers know of the recent shooting, and if you don’t you should probably read about the matter on our front page. No one’s been hurt thankfully, and University Police caught the suspect involved within minutes of the shooting.
However, a shot was fired on campus, and as details slowly trickle in, we’re in the same boat as many millennials who are viewing the incident in light of events like the Virginia Tech Massacre, the 2014 Isla Vista Killings and last year’s shootings at Florida State University.
The thought of some maniac with a grudge and a gun snapping and letting loose a stream of bullets on campus is a very well-buried fear that exists in the minds of many college students. We can argue over letting students keep guns in their dorms, argue over keeping all guns off campus, and argue over how many university security officers are on duty, but the moment some maniac snaps and opens fire, someone’s probably getting hurt, and a lot of us are afraid of something like that at home.
Monday’s incident was insignificant and small compared to the horrific shootings mentioned earlier, with only a single shot fired into the air and a UPD officer within easy range of the altercation, but one inhabited window, a few more shots fired, one less officer in sight or an edge more killing intent and this story could have been much more harrowing.
We’re all thankful the matter was resolved as neatly as it was, without anyone harmed, but events do open questions as to how well protected we are going about our business on a college campus. Shootings like this tend to brook arguments over the gun debate whereupon people argue for or against letting students bring guns on campus for self-defense, or make college campuses a gun-free zone. Hell, as mentioned earlier, hiring more officers could be considered, but maniacs firing wantonly on a college campus isn’t an everyday occurrence that throwing more officers at can neatly polish away.
Granted, we find it difficult to believe that adding more guns on campus will bring down the potential for gun-related crimes or accidents, but there’s no arguing against the thoughts of some people feeling much safer with the ability to fight back in such a situation.
Likewise, making campuses gun-free zones could potentially make campuses a massive target for opportunistic sociopaths or terrorists seeking an easy target with a population of several thousand unarmed civilians.
Increasing security officers across the board could be a solution, but it’s frankly not economical for many universities that are already working with tight budgets.
Just how do you give peace of mind to a population of millions of students across the U.S.? What can you do to make it right?
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 7/27/15]
