By Jacob Collins |Asst. Online Editor|

Those with a license to carry a concealed weapon should be able to carry their firearms on college campuses.

I believe there is no good reason for this restriction and it negatively impacts an individual’s right to self-defense.

Many opponents to concealed weapons at universities have a myriad of reasons, all or most of which are equally moronic.

A popular argument is that firearms are not necessary or that other means of self-defense work better. I disagree with these arguments.

On California university campuses, the only weapons you can legally use in self-defense are pepper spray or a folding knife less than two and a half inches long that cannot lock in place. Other weapons such as tasers, stun guns, and firearms are illegal.

Fending off an assailant with pepper spray seems unrealistic, given the fact they would have to be further than arms reach but still within 15 feet. Also, chances are that in spraying the assailant you will be affected by the spray as well.

Assailants have also been known to fight through the pain of pepper spray.

The same idea applies to using knives for self-defense. If your attacker has a knife or a gun, it’s not going to end very well for either of you.

Another argument is the famous “but what if the gun goes off accidentally?”  All or most gun owners acknowledge that there is no such thing as an “accidental discharge,” only negligent discharges.

“Among the more than 150 college campuses that currently allow concealed carry, there have been three accidental/negligent discharges—two by faculty/staff and one by a student. Two of the negligent discharges were the result of the license holder carrying the gun in a pants pocket without a holster (both of these incidents resulted in non-life-threatening injuries to the license holder’s leg), and one was the result of the license holder showing a new gun—a gun with which she was not yet familiar—to her coworkers (this incident resulted in only minor abrasions that did not require medical attention),” states concealedcampus.org on their webpage refuting common arguments against concealed carry.

People who properly and lawfully carry their concealed weapon use a holster covering the trigger of the weapon which negates the firearm from discharging without being drawn. Showing your concealed weapon to others, or brandishing it is illegal and a quick way to get your concealed carry license taken away.

When a violent crime occurs that makes the use of lethal force necessary you cannot rely on the police to save you.

By the time they arrive, you will either be severely injured or, dead. You can only rely on the police to chase after your attacker and bring him/her to justice after the fact.

You must rely on yourself for defense to avoid becoming another statistic of violent crime.