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Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is a national non-partisan organization composed of more than 43,000 college students, professors, college employees, parents of college students and concerned citizens.

It believes that holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else.

This movement is controversial as students reject the idea.

Melisa Brown, undecided major, said, “I don’t think that you should be allowed to carry a gun. What if it falls and it’s loaded and then kills somebody.”

She continues, “I don’t think that you should fear going to school either. They [the police] are doing their job to protect the students.”

Jenese Kim, chemistry major said, “A movement like this would only promote violence on campus… If anything, guns shouldn’t be promoted, an increase in security for this school should be.”

The efforts of the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, or SCCC, focus on the protection of students who may become victims of similar high-profile incidents such as the one at Virginia Tech University. It wants to ensure that students, as well as college staff members are well prepared for similar attacks.

“I don’t think anybody is well prepared for something like that,” Kim finished.

Dr. Steven Johnson, Vice President of Student Services, explained that in case of such incidents, including both natural disasters and terrorist attacks, they have prepared the proper precautions to protect both students and staff.

These precautions include the Campus Police and evacuation areas.

This movement can not take place due to the policies each State holds on colleges.

“There are strict prohibitions on having weapons on campus,” he said.

He explains that under the Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1995, all individuals are held responsible for carrying any weapon prohibited by this act.

The California Penal Code, Sections 626.9 and 626.10, prohibit any person from possession of any firearm in a school-zone as defined under section b of 626.9.

Any person violating these sections will be punished by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision h of section 1170 for two, three, or five years.

Dr. Johnson urges for all students to save the Campus Police number in their cellphones; He recommends that every student should contact this number for quick authority dispatch while on campus.

The Campus Police number is (562) 402-3674. This number is for emergency call only.

This number shall be used only in case of emergency. Violators of this policy will be charged as dialing 911 for false purposes.

The SCCC efforts will not change anything unless the individual State changes its policy on colleges so that firearms are allowed in these areas.