I’m not saying guns are evil.

I’m not saying guns are evil. If you feel safer with a gun, and it helps you protect your family, then that’s fine. I have no problem with that.

But you will never convince me that allowing guns into schools and college campuses will make them safer. These are entirely different places that call for different means of ensuring safety.

There is simply no need for someone to bring a gun into a classroom or a library. We already have security in these places. We are safe here.

Let me tell *you* a story: Last year, one of our graduate students had a complete mental break and started stalking women in our department, hanging outside our offices, and posting threatening messages on social media. He owned several guns, and started making vague threats about using them on people. We made several complaints about him, but our hands were tied until finally he was expelled for bringing a gun to campus. Without that, he could’ve continued to terrorize us until something horrible happened. Even for weeks after that, he continued to make threats against people on campus, and even challenged the police to a shoot-out.

Would you be willing to confront someone like that, even with a gun? Do you think some display of machismo would make him back off, or simply trigger him?

Here’s what you don’t understand: gun laws routinely work in favor of deranged individuals. I have deep and frequent experience with students and adults who have little control over their impulses, but would likely pass a background check. Campus gun laws protect me from these people better than someone like you ever could.

You say we’ll never know how many times a gun owner fends off an attacker. That’s probably true. However, we’ll also never know for sure how many times gun control and proper security thwarted a possible mass shooter.