In a Nov. 12 column, Luis Ruuska suggests that taking proactive safety measures would make both campus and students safer. I agree with Ruuska’s idea — but not completely.

Carrying a weapon can be counterproductive. If you had a weapon and someone threatened you with a gun, it might prompt them to become more violent or even shoot.

First, if you want to carry a gun, you need to know how to use it. Second, even if you know how to use it, carrying a gun might be counterproductive.

For example, your weapon would not be useful if you were afraid of using it. I suggest that if more students had weapons, violence would increase. Students could use weapons to solve disputes that otherwise would be resolved without violence.

However, I don’t mean that students shouldn’t carry self-defense items at all. There are many other ways to protect yourself from violence. As Ruuska wrote in his column, Taser guns and pepper spray are effective self-defense items.

Many of my friends have these items. One of my friends said she was able to run away from an alleged mugger by using pepper spray when they threatened her with a gun.

I believe the best way to defend yourself is to learn self-defense techniques by taking a course or by teaching yourself and practicing.

Finally, it’s also important to be as careful as you can.