In the course of tragic events, societies are prone to reconsider the past in search for preventative measures. We make assumptions about causes and reconcile them with our beliefs and principles before proposing a solution.

The Second Amendment has, time and time again, become the center of attention in American society, in particular on college campuses across the nationwide flare of gun violence.

Florida law is clear in this regard: statute 790.06 specifically prohibits the presence of weapons and firearms on all schools and college campuses across the state.

It can be logically deduced that where there are more objects specifically designed to cause harm, there is a higher likelihood of hazard. The facts can’t be overlooked, as according to a 2007 Small Arms Survey, for every 100 American citizens there are approximately 89 firearms — almost equivalent to about one gun per citizen.

Not surprisingly, America exponentially surpasses nearly all other developed, high-income counterpart countries in firearm deaths.

Gun rights advocates must understand that these are not simply numbers that are tabulated and politicized to fit some sort of pre-conceived rhetoric covertly attempting to usurp a constitutional right and usher in a totalitarian dictatorship.

This is reality, and reality cannot be molded and petty-fogged in conjunction with a fantasy world in which there is a clear distinction between a law-abiding, gun-carrying citizen and a malcontented criminal.

In the case of the presence of firearms on college campuses, the overwhelming majority of post-secondary institutions prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons on campus, and for all the right reasons: despite vivid instances, the overall homicide rate on college campus is approximately .07 per 100,000 individuals, with the Department of Justice reporting that 93 percent of violent crimes against college students occur off-campus.

Conservative gun enthusiasts often invoke the supposed “ineffectiveness” of the assault weapons ban to justify their legality, deeming the impact of such legislation to be negligible. Why should the aforementioned statistics for violence on campus be an exception for concealed carry?

But why stop there? Why not security checkpoints? Why not surveillance drones? Would that make you feel uncomfortable? Or would that be considered excessive? Where do we draw the line and acknowledge that guns are, and have always been, more a part of the problem than the solution?

Konstantin Ravvin is a senior majoring in Biomedical Science.