The Second Amendment guarantees that an individual's right to keep and bear a weapon will not be violated, but college campuses deny their students the right to bear a weapon for years. As of 2014, 22 states do not allow students to carry guns on campus and 22 leave schools responsible for campus gun policy. The other 6 allow students to carry weapons, but not necessarily in school buildings. Only in Utah is a student's right to concealed carry protected by state law. Although the government, state or federal, may not be able to control a private institution's right to ban guns, in public schools students should be allowed to legally carry guns , as they are in almost all other public lands. Not only is this right protected by the Second Amendment, but allowing concealed carry on campus would help reduce crime rates, rather than lead to more crime. The debate over college campus gun policy mirrors that at the national level in that at the heart of both debates is the interpretation of the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment states: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” » Some argue that the language used is outdated and that the Second Amendment does not guarantee an individual's right to bear a weapon – the Supreme Court disagrees. In the case of District of Columbia v. Heller's 2008, the Supreme Court concluded that the language of the Second Amendment actually guarantees an individual's right to keep and bear a weapon (Mauro). Even if the debate on the Second Amendment is not yet over, with the Heller decision, the right to bear arms is for the moment protected by the Constitution; me...... middle of paper ...... its safer without concealed weapons. "Gun Violence. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Excerpted from "Why Our Campuses Are Safer Without Concealed Handguns. " 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. January 21, 2014. "US College Student Demographics in 2012." MarketingCharts. Np, September 12, 2013. Web. January 21, 2014. .Wallis, David. "Return from the war to hit the books." NY Times Np, nd Web January 20, 2014. "Weapons Prohibited in Certain Places - Local Laws and Ordinances - Exceptions - Penalty.." RCW 9.41.300:. State Legislature, nd Web , January 21.. 2014. .