"We are a school at the end of the day ... (ASU) is basically filled with young adults and children, guns are not appropriate in places filled with young adults and children," ASU President Michael Crow said in a October meeting with The State Press Editorial Board.
Despite Crow's comments on guns, we're still locked in a stalemate about the role of guns on campus. Gun control is a topic that causes society to discuss in circles with very little change on a national or state level.
As of late, this common discussion of gun control hasn’t been the main issue on ASU students’ minds. We’re wondering how our campus will stay safe as the number of shootings, whether it be schools, neighborhoods and virtually every setting, surge all around us.
The State Press Editorial Board had varying views of guns. Some members are nauseous at the sight of a killing machine and others support guns in social, cultural and public life generally.
Despite these varying views, we all agreed that ASU’s firearm ban needs to be maintained. While universities are not the place to have a gun holstered to your hip, it is the prime place to start a discussion about it.
The small fights and back-and-forth conversations between people on either end of the debate occurring across the nation are not making a change. As students, we have the power to create a productive movement.
The Second Amendment gives U.S. citizens “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” The history of the U.S. and the culture of the country makes banning guns in all walks of life implausible. Simply banning guns or allowing anyone to have them is not the answer, by any means.
Thus, we must educate and inform individuals on campus of the proper and safe usage of guns. Every student on our campus is a change maker, and we have the power to develop a safer culture of guns in the U.S. and Arizona as we adapt and grow in the 21st century.
The discussion should no longer hinge on whether guns are "good or bad;" we simply need to put plans for education and discussion in action.
For example, ASU could offer classes on gun safety much like the University has an online course on the subject of consent and respect.
Those against guns on campus should have just as much voice as the clubs on campus in support of it. As a result, these two sides should come together in classes and have a discussion about what guns mean to them and their role in society. We could come to a more common, more educated ground.
Not only would we be able to create a safer environment, but we will be able to develop a common ground between individuals who cringe at the sight of guns and those that feel safer with a gun on their person.
Knowing individuals have been educated will help bring peace of mind, as those who have always supported the right to bear arms will see the negative stereotypes surrounding their way of life diminish.
We can foster a national change, as well as educate the change makers of tomorrow by fostering a civilized discussion on guns that will educate each individual on the proper usage of firearms.
Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.
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