Philly Crime Rate Affects Penn Students

Last month we noted Philadelphia's rising crime rate, and things have only continued as predicted. As of a few days ago, the number stands at 334 people killed in the city.

One of the latest tragedies is Terrence Pough, a single father recognized by People magazine in August of this year. He was gunned down outside his home on Thursday.

Unsurprisingly, with violence on the rise all over the city, college campuses around town are also seeing a rise in crime. With one of the largest college police forces in the country, University of Penn is stepping up their security measures and launching joint investigations with the Philadelphia police. Cory Bray, a Penn undergrad and head of Penn's College Republicans, has his own unique solution: get packing with your concealed weapons permit!

"If Penn can't protect us," he said, "we should be able to protect ourselves."

After reading descriptions of the recent violence on Penn's campus, Phillyist wonders if letting jumpy and possibly drunk Penn students run around campus at night with loaded guns shoved in their waistbands is such a great idea. Most of the attacks were not of the variety that would allow an attackee plenty of time get to a weapon. Indeed, it might only serve to put more guns into the hands of violent criminals. And we're apt to believe that if the criminals know you might have a weapon, they might decide to shoot first and find out how much money you're carrying later.

Just recently a melee erupted at a Penn sorority event that ended up in a riot. Would it have been worse if those involved had easy access to guns?

Perhaps what might be a better idea is comprehensive self-defense training classes for all students, as well as guidance as to what constitutes proper precautions (and common sense) in an urban setting. We wouldn't walk around bad neighborhoods at night, and if you value your life and personal property we wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Paying $32K+ in tuition every year doesn't mean the local criminal element magically disappears.

Photo credit: InFocus.