Student group pushes for right to carry concealed weapons on campus

In fact, research shows that making it easier to allow people to carry concealed weapons in public does not reduce violent crime, said Jon Vernick, codirector of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. And guns in the home increase the risk of suicide or homicide, he said.

The SCCC maintains that gun owners in general are law-abiding and careful with their weapons. Most partying goes on off-campus where guns are already permitted.

"In all my years interacting with students who are legal gun owners, never once has a firearm been brought out inappropriately," said Matthew Cross, 24, a concealed-carry advocate at West Chester University, where he is a graduate history student.

Rachel Blumenfeld, 23, of Wilmington, a law student at Villanova, got a .380 semiautomatic handgun last year after being stalked by an abusive boyfriend. She would like to bring it school because he has threatened to follow her there, she said.

A fellow law student, Peter Caltagirone, 25, said he used to support gun control, but now feels that allowing guns on campus will deter attacks.

"In light of the changing nature of the world," he said, "I think it's a necessary protective measure."

For more information on the

gun debate, go to