Armed guards on peace-church campuses raise questions

Last year’s shooting massacre at Virginia Tech and a fatal shooting spree earlier this year at Northern Illinois University have so profoundly shaken college campuses that some schools associated with the historic peace churches plan to take up arms. Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., which has historic ties to the Church of the Brethren, is […]

Last year’s shooting massacre at Virginia Tech and a fatal shooting spree earlier this year at Northern Illinois University have so profoundly shaken college campuses that some schools associated with the historic peace churches plan to take up arms. Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., which has historic ties to the Church of the Brethren, is beginning the process of arming its campus security officers. “Obviously that legacy was in our minds, but we were certainly more cognizant of the needs of students and of parents who wanted to know if their children were going to be safe,” said Juniata spokesman John Wall, who sat on a review group that recommended arming school security. The theological imperative to make peace was one of a number of factors considered in discussions occurring on Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite campuses.

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