End soft targets, end gun free zones

By Erich Pratt

Yet again, tragedy strikes, a life is lost, and the University of North Carolina campus becomes another statistic as one more person is killed in a gun free zone. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the faculty member who was murdered in Chapel Hill. Yet, as anti-gun activists frequently say, thoughts and prayers are not enough. Saving innocent lives will require action. This tragedy could have been avoided, and future similar incidents could be greatly reduced, if more members of the university community were armed and trained.
North Carolina is one of 15 states that prohibits any form of campus carry on college or university campuses. The charge for being found with a weapon is a felony. This includes faculty and students, even if they have permits to own and carry firearms off campus.
North Carolinians and students from across the country are forced to walk defenseless into institutions of higher learning, only relying on campus and city police to protect them. Law enforcement cannot guard every classroom, every dining hall, every dorm, every entrance. This is no fault of the officers, of course, but when seconds matter, the police are minutes away.
For this reason, students and faculty

Source: Gun Owners of America