Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, who is big supporter of the National Rifle Association and an opponent of gun-control measures, came out on Sunday in favor of allowing law-abiding students to carry concealed weapons on college campuses, so long as they comply with campus and state rules. The issue came up on Meet the Press, when journalist Tim Russert asked the former Tennessee senator about allowing students to carry weapons in light of the shootings in April at Virginia Tech.

He first told Russert: “I don’t think that all students need to be carrying weapons on the school campus.”

Whew! Thank goodness for that!

But Thompson added that "...some thought really needs to be given as to who should be properly qualified and permitted and, and armed on campuses and other places where large [groups of] people gather.”

When pressed, Thompson said “yeah”, students should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.

This has been an issue on college campuses since the violence at Virginia Tech, and in fact, students today at the University of Colorado at Boulder are protesting the school’s ban on concealed weapons. The right to carry guns has also been an issue in public schools. A high school teacher in Oregon is suing so she can be allowed to carry a concealed weapon on her campus. In Michigan, a state lawmaker has introduced legislation to allow a teacher to have access to a registered gun on campus.

What do you think? Should law-abiding students and teachers be allowed to carry guns on college or K-12 school grounds?