In “Death Wish,” one of the coolest movies of all time, Charles Bronson’s family is victimized in a brutal crime wave that hits New York City.

The police are helpless in stopping the string of attacks, so Bronson does what any reasonable person would do: he decides to protect himself.

Thanks to a friend in Tucson, go figure, Bronson acquires a firearm and takes to the streets. And when the menacing street thugs pick him out for an easy target, they are tragically mistaken.

Bronson never takes the first step in any of these justifiable homicides because, in every case, it is the criminals who are the aggressors. Granted, Bronson expects them to give him trouble, he never arbitrarily metes out justice. They get what they have coming to them.

As a result, crime drops dramatically. Not solely because Bronson is taking out the perpetrators that would commit these crimes, but more so because these criminals are afraid to bother anyone for fear they might be the vigilante.

So what’s the point of this little movie synopsis? Exactly that more guns equal less crime.

And to take that further, Loyola students could be ensured of their safety off campus if they had the proper protection.

Be On the Look Out reports seem routine; everyday occurrences point to the harsh reality that there are people out there who prey out college kids when they stray outside the boundaries of campus at night. And such predators know that when college kids are off campus at night it is usually because they are out drinking, which only sweetens the deal.

Now, to be totally clear, this is not an indictment of University Police, or even the New Orleans Police Department. UP is only responsible for the campus, and the NOPD has bigger things to deal with. It would be great if there were constant police patrolling, but there is only so much manpower that can be devoted in a city that has serious crime problems.

No, the solution to off-campus crime is to arm students when they are off campus. Think of it in two ways. If students are able to scare off assailants, there is an immediate and direct result.

But much more importantly, and this goes back to the reason I acted as film reviewer, other criminals would be much more reticent to mess with students at night. There would be the chance that the students who look so vulnerable are actually packing.

What’s so great about this second result is that not every student needs to get a gun.

There are, of course, people who have moral objections to the Second Amendment, and people who are just uncomfortable with the idea. Those people will be protected, to an extent, because they have peers who are willing to carry firearms.

So to a certain degree, Loyola pacifists would have just as good a chance after a night of drinking as the Rifle Association. I say “to a degree” because clearly one group would be much better equipped, if there were an assailant willing to play the odds.

I think a Loyola gun club would be a great asset to the university. If there were such an organization, and it could have a visible presence, it would work to the benefit of all students.

I’m not encouraging students to carry guns to class. This, for one, seems slightly unnecessary, but I would think the university would also have some problems finding insurers.

However, off-campus students could join the club and keep their guns at home, and on-campus students could keep firearms in their cars. There’s a message that needs to be sent. Until Loyola students show they will not be victims, we really do need to be on the lookout.