The tragedies at Va. Tech and Northern Illinois University have stirred the gun control debate among students. Should we be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus?

To me, allowing concealed weapons on campus would be like fighting fire with fire. Although the cliché is bound to raise adrenalin, cold analysis shows that the all-too-likely ensuing escalation in violence puts this debate to rest.

If the disease is the ease and willingness with which any student can obtain a weapon, bring it on campus and beginning shooting, allowing students to carry weapons on campus is treating the symptom instead of looking for a cure.

This ties in to the very heart of the gun control debate. The proliferation of guns in the market, aided and abetted by decades of lobbying in Washington by gun manufacturers, is an indication of a nation’s views on inflicting and returning violence.

Comparing the statistics for gun-related deaths between the U.S. and any other first world country is an eye-opening experience. Second Amendment enthusiasts, who argue the need for self defense via guns, show signs of vigilantism and the lynch mentality that pervaded the U.S. not so long ago.

The creation of law enforcement in a society is a milestone in the evolution of a civilization. It signals that people recognize the need for protection against dangerous elements within but also the higher need to provide a mechanism for dealing with those with criminal intent.

The police exist to ensure a judicious manner of dealing with criminals. They are trained to read chaotic situations and react appropriately and responsibly. Let us leave our security in their able hands.

The solution is not transforming our campuses in to the Old West. Instead, we should better equip campus police, speed up response times and, more importantly, change national perception so as to make the use of violence repugnant.