By Steven Truant
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Recent mass shootings in Texas and Ohio prompted an immediate reaction from big-name companies such as Walmart, but college campuses also are busily reviewing weapons’ policies while urging students to keep alert.
“As police, we hope that anytime someone sees warning signs of mental instability that may lead to violence that they alert the police,” said Sgt. Shannon Cotton of the Towson University Police Department.
Handguns and other firearms accounted for more than 10,000 deaths as of 2017, while knives, blunt objects, and other weapons – such as an individual’s hands, accounted for only 3,000 deaths, according to Statista, a German online statistics firm. In early August, 10 people were killed in a shooting in Dayton, Ohio. A month later, seven people were killed in West Texas when a routine traffic stop turned violent. More than 50 people were injured in both shootings.
“The FBI has released data that shows that there is a strong correlation between mental illness and mass shootings,” Cotton explained. “Mental illness many times goes undiagnosed but, in many of the mass shootings that have occurred, there were warning signs that were ignored.
“If we, as a society, can become better at recognizing the warning signs and getting someone help when they need it, then hopefully, we can end these types of violent events,” she added.
The shootings prompted Walmart to end all sales of firearms and ammunition, including .223 and 5.56 caliber ammunition used in AR-15 rifles. Walmart store clerks and other officials ask customers not to carry a firearm into the retail stores.
Background checks and proper documentation are required when purchasing a firearm, officials said. A criminal record surrenders an individual’s ability to purchase a firearm. However, lawmakers across the country are being asked to require a mental health check on gun buyers.
On college campuses, officials are quietly taking action. Weapons policies of colleges and universities are strict, yet shootings occur on college campuses every year.
“Schools should speak up when they see someone showing warning signs,” said Erin Dame, a Towson sophomore. “It could be the difference between life and death for many people.”
Twelve states allow adults to carry a firearm on campus with proper documentation. Those states are Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.
In December 2016, Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed into law legislation that lifted a ban on firearms on college campuses but stressed that the decision to allow weapons was solely that of the individual institutions.
Towson University’s weapons’ policy states no weapons are to be kept on campus or on a student’s person at any time; however, pepper spray is an exception for students and faculty.
“I think it is very possible that it will help reduce mass shootings, however I am sure most of the recent mass shootings had the guns purchased at Walmart,” said Chris Giba, a sophomore at Harford Community College.
The policy on Harford’s campus prohibits anyone entering any college property from carrying a handgun, firearm, or prohibited weapon as defined in Maryland’s Criminal Law. Only certain employees and law enforcement officers are authorized to carry weapons on campus.
“I feel like you shouldn’t be able to have anything on your person at any time,” said Giba. “If we’re giving access to these things to people, we don’t know what they’re going to do. It should be left to the school resource officer.”
However, the action of retail stores raises issues about other types of weapons. For example, Walmart sells knives, crossbows, power tools, hammers, and other blunt objects, not just firearms. Research shows that firearms represent only 2 percent of weapon sales.
“Knives are one of the mentioned weapons listed in the policy,” Cotton said, noting Towson’s policy. “Students that reside on campus may have kitchen knives as do the catering companies that work on campus.”
“These knives are allowed because they are used in the preparation of food. However, a kitchen knife cannot be carried on a student or anyone working on campus because it would be considered a weapon at that point,” she explained.
Maryland recently enacted another related law called, “The Red Flag Law,” which encourages residents to alert police when a known gun owner shows warning signs of mental instability. Police can confiscate the weapon from the owner under the law.
“Red Flag Laws should be enforced at the federal level,” said Giba. “There is no reason for it not to be. If someone is showing signs of mental instability or if someone has a history of domestic violence, they should not have any weapons because they can cause serious harm to people. They should not have a weapon if they are mentally unstable.”