Students for Concealed Carry on Campus at Virginia Tech

Welcome to the official website for

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

at

Virginia Tech

As we are currently organizing primarily via Facebook, please join there! Anyone in the VT Network can join.

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It took a good deal of time, but I have finally scored and analyzed all the quiz and survey data.

Please leave feedback!

Opinions regarding concealed carry on campus, grouped by students/faculty/staff/alumni (link).

• Most respondents were students, but alumni were more opposed to campus carry than students.

Summary of raw data & quiz answers and scoring (link).

• A lot of people got major questions wrong, like legality of carry on campus, age to carry, and number of states that issue permits.

Quiz performance averaged by opinions regarding concealed carry on campus (link).

• While we had no idea what to expect, it turned out that supporters of concealed carry did twice as well (~80% compared to ~40%) as those opposed to it, in some cases. Overall, statistical significance was clear, however.

Quiz performance averaged by permit status (link).

• Similar conclusion as above, where those with Virginia permits performed extraordinarily well, and those opposed to people having permits did very poorly.

General notes:

• Raw data are available on request.
• Comments were wide ranging and will all be considered carefully, and most likely be addressed in some way or another.
• Statistical data analyzed with JMP.
• 3 responses were entered after data was collected for analysis, so disparity in stats and summary can be explained by this.
• 187 responses was not ideal, especially considering SCCC at VT has 219 members to date. Hopefully next year we will be able to get a larger response as SGA & GSA are planning to get involved.

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I believe the problem(s) are now resolved. If anyone has any errors with opening the website, please comment on this post and someone will address it.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS SURVEY

Please note: This is only open to those with valid VT PID’s, to avoid duplicate entries. Despite the login, the entries are completely anonymous. Site will close as late as 11:59pm on Wednesday, April 30th if entries continue to come in until then.

Please share this with everyone, we want as much input as possible!

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In the concealed carry debate going on here at Virginia Tech, as well as nationwide, there are a few issues. One is that some are still looking for people to blame. When I lost a friend to a car accident a few years ago, I didn’t blame Mack trucks or the truck dealership. Similarly, we should not blame gun manufacturers or dealers for the events at VT or NIU, as both entities followed the laws exactly as they should have. Further, laws regarding mental health and gun purchases have been tightened since April, much to the approval of both sides of the debate. So many people seem upset that TGSCOM, Inc. sold a firearm to the VT shooter. This doesn’t make much sense considering that they didn’t even run the background check, the local gun store did before passing ownership to Cho; TGSCOM simply made a sale like any other.

The biggest issue with the misplaced blame is that it raises concern in those who know the stages of grief.

If, over a year later, many people are still in the “anger” stage of grief and are looking to place blame, maybe the community is not recovering as well as is believed. I know otherwise, as I am a deeply engaged member of the VT community, and am healing from my loss, too. Jeremy and I were close like brothers, and his father told me that I am family; my pain feels much the same as his. I’ve watched my own recovery and keep a close eye on those around me, and don’t believe that this is very representative of how the VT community is doing.

The other issue is that not enough people are getting involved. It seems that unless someone is directly upset by something, they tend to not put much effort into considering it. If the controversy of Mr. Thompson’s speech is an aide to engaging more people into the debate, then so be it. It was not the intention, but perhaps it can be become a positive. Educational institutions are a place for learning, not a place where students should fear for their lives. Experts on these incidents agree: attackers choose unarmed victims in places like schools, churches, and malls. Unfortunately, it looks that “If you want peace, prepare for war” applies here, and the only way to take back our learning institutions from these heinous crimes is to send a message to would-be criminals:

“You will not find defenseless victims here; we will defend ourselves and protect our beloved campus.”

I don’t like carrying a firearm for protection any more than I like having an extinguisher in case of fire, but if that’s what it takes to bring peace of mind, then I will take the responsibility.

In closing, I simply ask that you wait until you hear the speech tonight before you pass judgment. There is clearly a reason that Mr. Thompson was so persistent about coming here to speak, paid his entire bill to do so, and is forgoing profits on sales for the next two weeks. Give him a chance to speak, just as you would want if you were on the other end of such emotions. University spokesman Larry Hincker is trying to get everyone worked up to support his opposition to self-defense on campus; stand up and show him that you think for yourself. Mr. Thompson’s speech will inevitably be aired on many news outlets and online, so please tune in.

Regards,

Ken Stanton

VT Campus Leader, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

GIVE YOUR INPUT ON THE SPEECH HERE:

Link to 3 question poll

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The week of April 21-25 is a vocal week for SCCC nationwide. With the Empty Holster Protest being held at over 300 campuses and with over 3,000 participants, it is a week to make an all-important but simple statement:

We do not approve of our college, university, and/or state legislature taking away our right to self-defense.

As well, we here at VT believe that education is key to our mission, and hence are hosting Firearms Education Week. Most people only think of guns as weapons of crime, but with an estimated 1-2 MILLION cases of defensive gun use every year, it is clear that they serve a higher purpose, too.

Finally, input from others is needed to show the status and concerns of related parties like police, gun store owners, and the people of the university.

Putting all of this together, we have the events of the week:

Collegiate Times Article

All week:

• Empty Holster Protest: Participants go about their daily lives around campus wearing empty holsters. They are also asked to engage with and provide more information to others who inquire about the holster, as part of Firearms Education Week. No permit is required, and participants do not have to have the desire to carry, just respect the right of those who choose to. Facebook event (click here)
  
• Firearms Education Week: Encompasses all activities of the week, with the goal of sharing with others the facts and reasoning that supporters have for this cause. Many of us were opposing before, but have since learned more about concealed carry and now support it. Facebook event (click here)
  

Wednesday, April 23rd:

• Meeting with VT Police Chief Flinchum (private): As concealed carry on campus inevitably involves the fine officers that serve and protect our campus, we are going to consult with the chief on how this would affect them and their jobs. This is for our information, too, to see if there are concerns we have not addressed.

Thursday, April 24th:

• Eric Thompson, guest speaker - 7pm, Whittemore 300: As owner of TGSCOM, Inc., the company that made sales to both the VT and NIU attackers, Eric found a special motivation to get involved: “I also believe I now have a special responsibility to do all I can to try and prevent further loss of life.” Please note that seating is very limited, so please arrive early (doors open 6:45pm). For more on the company and Eric’s statements about the tragedies, please see http://www.tgscom.com/
  

Friday, April 25th:

• VT Community Survey and Quiz: To take input from the VT community, SCCC at VT is opening a survey and quiz on the topic of concealed carry on campus. Conducted via survey.vt.edu, the quiz will cover basic facts of concealed carry on campus, and the survey will take input on opinions on the topic. The results will be reported as quiz results, survey results, and correlation between the two. Also, we are seeking a neutral co-host for this to ensure objectivity. The survey will open on Friday, April 25th at 8am, and close on Sunday, April 27th at midnight.

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