Cabrillo College Claudia Close Ethics – Philosophy 10 Fall 2016

Case Study #3: Aristotle & Guns on Campus

Read the assigned sections on Aristotle and the attached article from PBS Newshour, and then answer the following questions. The completed assignment should be two pages long, (approximately 1400 words) using 12 pt. fonts and single spacing with one inch margins. Please follow the assigned format as exemplified at the end of your first case study assignment. Each answer should be separated, numbered and proportionate to the number of points possible. This study is worth a total of 60 points.

Your completed assignment is due on the 30th of November. Please refer to the first assignment for general suggestions, grading rubrics, and a

sample completed assignment!

1. Paraphrase the argument by the three professors at University of Texas at Austin that the law permitting concealed carry of handguns must be repealed. (5 points)

2. Asking the right questions: What facts would you need to know about this case to make a reasonably informed judgment? In this section, note that you should be raising questions such as the incidence of gun violence on American campuses, the specific nature of the law which permits concealed carry of handguns, etc., but not questions about Aristotle. Provide as a bulleted list and pose in question form. For this assignment, you do not have to do all the research but you need to raise the kind of questions that would drive such a project. These should be research questions and as such should be concrete and answerable. No bias or prejudice should be evident and the questions should be non-normative (no “ought” or “should” questions). Think about facts that, if known might help determine how one should or could respond to the case. (15 pts.)

3. Aristotle’s Position: Pending the acquisition of all of this information, how do you think Aristotle would respond to this case; should students be allowed to carry handguns on college campuses? Be sure to provide citations from Aristotle (primary source = Aristotle’s writings and does not include secondary commentary from Rosenstand or from me) to support your answer. In citing the quote, all you need do is indicate the page from the text (see example). Note that this question carries the highest weight in points. (25 points)

4. Critical Objection: Identify one key problem with Aristotle’s theory of ethics as it applies to this particular case. (10 points)

5. Conclusion: Where do you personally stand on this question; should students be allowed to carry handguns on college campuses? Defend your answer without resorting to a repetition of points made in previous sections. (5 points)

Background1: Case Study #3

NATION

Texas professors sue over new

law allowing guns on campus2

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ new

law allowing concealed handguns

in college classrooms, buildings

and dorms has barely started and

already faces a legal challenge

seeking to block it before students return for the fall semester.

1 Please note that you are not limited to the background offered. It is expected that you will do a bit more in-depth reading to develop your thesis. You may feel free to use any credible/reliable source as evidence for your arguments. Additionally you may use additional material from Aristotle to defend your answers. Please provide full citation for all research. 2 Vertuno, Jim. "Texas Professors Sue over New Law Allowing Guns on Campus." PBS. PBS, 2 Aug. 2016. Web. 09 Oct. 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/texas-professors-sue-new-laws-allowing-guns-campus/>.

Three professors at the University of Texas sued July 6 to overturn the law, claiming it is

unconstitutional and is forcing colleges to impose “dangerously-experimental gun policies.”

The 50,000-student Austin campus has been a flashpoint of opposition to the law among

faculty and students.

The law took effect Monday, the 50th anniversary Charles Whitman’s sniper attack from

the top of University of Texas campus clock tower, a shooting spree that eventually

claimed 17 lives and has come to be accepted as the nation’s first mass shooting.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel had previously scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing

for Thursday in Austin. Classes at the University of Texas start Aug. 24.

Texas has allowed licensed concealed handguns in public since 1995 but had previously

made college buildings off limits.

The new law makes Texas one of eight states with laws that allow weapons on campus

and inside buildings, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Another

23 let their campuses or governing boards decide.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called the lawsuit “frivolous” and urged its

dismissal. Gun rights advocates say it’s a key self-defense measure that is protected

under the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

“I’m confident it will be dismissed because the Legislature passed a constitutionally sound

law,” Paxton said.

The Texas law allows schools to set some gun limits, such as banning weapons from

campus hospitals or labs with dangerous chemicals. The University of Texas rules allow

professors to ban weapons from their private offices and places some restrictions on

dorms.

The lawsuit by sociology professor Jennifer Lynn Glass, creative writing professor Lisa

Moore and English professor Mia Carter says allowing guns into classrooms could be

dangerous when discussions can wade into emotionally and politically charged topics such

as gay rights and abortion.

“Compelling professors at a public university to allow, without any limitation or restriction,

students to carry concealed guns in their classrooms chills their First Amendment rights to

academic freedom,” their lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also challenges claims that the law is protected by the Second Amendment

right bear arms and says it violates the Constitutional equal protection clause.

Texas’ Republican-majority Legislature passed the law in 2015 over similar objections

from student and faculty groups, most notably at the Austin campus.

University of Texas System Chancellor, former Retired Adm. William McRaven, a former

Navy SEAL who coordinated the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, urged lawmakers not to

pass the law, telling them allowing guns would make campuses “less safe.”

University of Texas administrators and faculty have warned the law will make it difficult to

attract and retain top students, teachers and researchers. University of Texas School of

Architecture dean Fritz Steiner cited the law as a reason to leave the school for a job at the

University of Pennsylvania.

But those worries haven’t resonated statewide. At Texas A&M University, Chancellor John

Sharp supported the law and professors there won’t be allowed to ban weapons from their

offices without special permission from the administration.

Supporters of the campus carry law say its impact is overstated, because most students

won’t be legally allowed to carry concealed weapons.

Texas law requires handgun license holders to be 21 years old (18 if active military), have

clean criminal records and pass classroom and gun range training, although training

requirements have been reduced in recent years. Texas recently passed 1 million

handgun license holders.

The law does not allow open carry of handguns in college buildings and all weapons must

remain out of sight.

Case #10: Philosophizing with Guns

Almost 50 years ago, the first mass shooting at a college happened at the University of

Texas (UT), resulting in the deaths of 14 people.1 Now, the frequency and severity of such incidents are increasing. In response, college campuses across Texas are becoming “concealed

carry zones.”2 At UT Austin, students may carry concealed weapons in the classroom but not in dormitories. In the classroom, students must keep weapons holstered and may not keep a bullet

in the chamber of a semi-automatic weapon.3

Supporters of the law assert the need for greater safety on college campuses given the

proliferation of mass shootings across the country.4 Since concealed carry bans have been ineffective, they argue permitting weapons will increase campus security. In the words of one supporter, Virginia Tech’s concealed weapons ban left people “defenseless as a cold-blooded

gunman methodically killed 32 of them over the course of two and a half hours.”5 By allowing everyone to have a gun, so the argument goes, potential victims will have the ability to defend themselves.

Opponents point out that there are, in fact, very few instances of gun violence on college

campuses. The LA Times reports that, “[o]f the 18,536 homicides in Texas between 2001 and 2013, only five—that's right, just five—occurred on or near college campuses.” At present,

suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students (behind only vehicle-related deaths) and the proliferation of weapons on campus may increase the risk of successful suicide

attempts.6 Further, some worry that allowing concealed carry will increase the likelihood that a

professor will be shot by a disgruntled student.

In a recent editorial for The New York Times, philosopher Simone Gubler criticizes the

Texas law for being anathema to the values of higher education (i.e., academic freedom,

intellectual debate, etc.).7 Moreover, she worries that the presence of guns might transform the

nature of personal interactions through the introduction of an object that alters power and

authority structures: “When I strap on my gun and head into a public space, I alter the quality of

that space. I introduce an object that conveys an attitude in which people figure as things—as obstacles to be overcome, as items to be manipulated, as potential corpses.” This debate raises

important questions both about public safety and the nature of academic spaces.

1 History.com, “An Ex-Marine goes on a killing spree at the University of Texas,” http://www.history.com/this-day- in-history/an-ex-marine-goes-on-a-killing-spree-at-the-university-of-texas.

2 Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “Texas universities brace for concealed guns in campus buildings,” Los Angeles Times, Nov. 10, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-campus-guns-20151110-story.html.

3 Associated Press, “University of Texas regents set to consider gun rules for campuses,” May 12, 2016, http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-texas-campus-gun-rules-20160512-snap-story.html.

4 Jonathan Zimmerman, “Like Prohibition, the fight over guns is about something else,” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 27, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1027-zimmerman-campus-carry-20151027-story.html.

5 Jacob Sullum, “The Gun Ban and the Gunman,” Reason.com, April 18, 2007, http://reason.com/archives/2007/04/18/the-gun-ban-and-the-gunman.

6 Doris Iarovici, “Perspectives on College Student Suicide,” Psychiatric Times, July 27, 2015, http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/perspectives-college-student-suicide.

7 Simone Gubler, “Philosophizing with Guns,” The New York Times, April 11, 2016, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/11/philosophizing-with-guns/?_r=0.