Cover Story

On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho opened fire on the campus of Virginia Tech University. By the time the smoke cleared, 33 people, including Cho, were dead and 15 more were injured.

On Feb. 14, 2008, six people were killed at Northern Illinois University—including the shooter, Steven Kazmierczak—and 18 people survived with injuries.

These two killing sprees re-opened a debate on how best to protect the safety of students on college campuses. One response has been to meet fire with fire—to allow students to carry concealed weapons while attending class, hanging out at the student union, studying at the library, working in a lab or meeting with professors or advisers.

Eric Thompson, owner of the Green Bay-based TGSCOM Inc., an online gun vendor whose customers included Cho and Kazmierczak, has turned these college tragedies into a crusade to allow guns on campus. Thompson argues that more concealed weapons on campus—which traditionally are gun-free zones—will protect the public from future attacks. Thompson even spoke at Virginia Tech this April to make his case, in an appearance that was opposed by the school’s administration.

Thompson and his allies argue that putting guns in the hands of students and faculty is a better option than waiting for security or the police to arrive when a crisis occurs.

“Nobody is going to be there to protect us,” Thompson said in an inter view with the Shepherd. “People that choose and want to protect themselves should not be prevented from doing so.” Yet critics contend that arming students and faculty members will do nothing to pre vent armed attacks on campus, and could even increase the number of firearm injuries or deaths among young people who are grappling with the responsibilities of adulthood and the stresses of school.

“Too often, guns are used in ways that people never imagined,” said Jeri Bonavia, exec utive director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE).