Students for Concealed Carry took advantage of the national dialogue on sexual assault to push their own agenda by suggesting that easing concealed carry restrictions would curb sexual assaults on campus.
Concealed weapons would not significantly reduce sexual assault and would create inadvertent risks within other forms of interpersonal violence.
And concealed weapons would be yet another excuse to blame victims for their own assaults. Like other items on the list of measures that would supposedly prevent attacks, guns would not address the causes of sexual assault.
Even worse, they could reinforce rape culture because the burden of stopping assault would be further placed upon women.
Allowing concealed weapons on campus for the purpose of preventing sexual assault will create the unintended consequence of increased homicides stemming from intimate partner violence.
Having guns that are accessible in a household where domestic violence occurs increases the risk of homicide. In 2005, perpetrators used guns in over half of cases of female homicide related to domestic violence.
Expanding concealed carry restrictions on campus would arm potential perpetrators — not just of sexual assault but also of violence in relationships.
To reduce sexual assault, focus should be maintained on preventative programs that challenge rigid gender roles and promote healthy relationships as well as intervention trainings that teach peers to be active bystanders rather than on measures that will not solve the problem.
