Editorial: Guns on public grounds a complex issue

The right to bear arms isn’t a novel concept in American society. But today, citizens and legislatures continue to ponder: to what places does the Second Amendment extend? Do individuals have the right to bear arms wherever they’d like, or only in designated areas?

On Monday, the Wyoming House of Representatives approved legislation that would allow individuals with concealed gun permits to carry firearms into public schools and government meetings. 

The bill, which the Senate still needs to approve, would repeal “gun-free zones” around schools, from the elementary to university level. Seven other states have provisions permitting concealed weapons on public college and university campuses, including Wisconsin, Colorado and Oregon.

While we respect these states’ interpretation of the Second Amendment, states should allow individual districts to decide whether or not to allow guns on school property — outside of a sweeping policy. In Wyoming, this exception wasn’t the case. The House rejected an amendment that would permit school systems to keep their gun-free classifications.

Furthermore, if the government allows guns in public places where children and citizens are densely situated, it should offer training to those wielding lethal weapons in public. Even though the Wyoming bill mandates a concealed gun permit to legally carry a firearm in public, citizens should be subject to more vigorous situational training, such as identifying criminals from innocents under pressure. Otherwise, those wishing to protect their fellow citizens may accidentally cause more harm than good. No one wants that.

Additionally, states allowing public gun wielding must ensure that buyers pass proper background checks. Guns should in fact be available to citizens, but only if they have a clean criminal record and are in a state of appropriate mental health.

So, when discussing whether or not governments should allow guns on public property, we should focus on people, not weapons. If people pass background and psychological checks, they deserve the right to exercise their Second Amendment rights. 

At the same time, school districts should have the right to set the gun policy they deem appropriate for their particular setting. An urban school has a different environment than a rural one. Inner-city schools typically have higher crime rates than affluent suburban schools. 

Alternatively, urban schools are usually closer to first responders, whereas their rural counterparts are more isolated from immediate help. Consequently, each school’s school board and officials should have the freedom to decide what is best for their districts. 

They have an understanding of how quickly outside forces can respond to a situation, and can therefore calculate if arming faculty is integral to the safety of their students and staff.

We applaud Wyoming and other states for allowing individuals to carry out their Second Amendment rights in public, but we urge states to do so responsibility, and grant districts the freedom to decide what is best for their own safety and security.