A proposed bill by State Sen. Hank Erwin (R-Montevallo) that would allow certain students to carry guns for self-protection on campuses at state-supported universities and colleges is a disaster waiting to happen.

While Erwin is well intentioned in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting, in which 32 people were killed, we believe arming students is not the answer. The safety and security of students should be left to police departments and campus security.

Erwin&8217;s bill, offered for the Feb. 5 legislative session, would require students who carry guns to have a license for the firearm, have no prior felony or misdemeanor convictions, be in good standing with the college, complete a course on gun skills and participate in an ROTC program.

Despite all of these safeguards, we feel this is a terrible idea.

There is no guarantee a student armed with a gun would stop a tragedy from happening. And if a gun-carrying student were to exchange shots with an armed person or persons, a bad situation could easily become out of control and cause more harm than good.

Besides, the students who have caused the tragedies on our nation&8217;s school campuses all had access to guns