Gun Fire or Road Works?

Anyone who is familiar with America's gun laws would also be familiar with the terrible tragedies they cause, mainly those in schools as they are usually the most shocking. Although we hear about it and pray it will stop we never think these things can happen to us. Until one day you're forced to realise they can...

January 22nd 2014 was your average cold winter day at the University of Oklahoma. On Wednesdays I had only one class at 11.30am so took the bus to campus as normal, walked to class as normal, sat down and waited for my professor as normal. When my professor arrived late he apologised as he had been held up by police running around campus blockading the walkways, commenting on how strange that was he was interrupted by the whole class as everyone started receiving emergency alert texts from OUPD urging us to stay inside as there had been gunshots on campus. Moments later a professor from down the hall came in telling us to lock the doors, so we did. Our professor told us to keep our phones out while we carry on with class until further notice... Within ten minutes we could hear helicopters circling above, several sets of sirens and radios but thankfully no shouting. An hour later when our class was scheduled to finish our professor decided "Due to the nature of these crimes in this country I'm going to keep you all here until we get the all clear" It was in that moment that it finally hit me how dangerous the situation could be and I was genuinely terrified for the first time in my life. 

Thankfully half an hour later we all began to receive texts explaining it was a false alarm and the University's President (Mr Boren) would be addressing the University later in the afternoon. It was then that I left campus to meet my American friend at a local cafe. She explained that during the lockdown she had been walking to class until she was ushered off campus by staff clearing the streets and had waited for me in the Cafe since then. She also explained how she had never experienced something like that before and that a few days prior there had been a real shooting in Indiana therefore all Universities were on high alert. I hope that she never has to experience anything like that again, false or otherwise. The reality of people carrying guns hit everyone on campus that day.

One thing I can wholeheartedly commend the University of Oklahoma for is their rapid response time and amazingly efficient alert system; we all knew what was going on at all times. The president did a great job of assuring us that the shots heard and reported were actually noises from a machine backfiring. Much to my surprise during his address a student asked whether this scare would cause him to change current regulations forbidding firearms on campus to which the president responded "That would be the worst thing we could do". The reason the scare occurred was because people are allowed to carry firearms, if the places in which they are allowed to carry them (such as universities) was increased, I am confident there would be many more needless scares. Thankfully there are people like President Boren in charge.