Political prowess: Gun Control
By Jessica Mae, Behind the Scenes Staff Writer
May 13, 2007 | 10:30 a.m.
The shootings at Virginia Tech have re-ignited the gun control debate, especially among universities and their police, faculty and students. This article, however, examines Ohio University students' opinions about gun control before the VA Tech shootings occurred.
In a survey of 63 OU students, 42 said they were in favor of gun control and the other 19 students reported they would like to see a decrease in gun control.
The issue of gun control is extremely controversial, made more volatile by the VA Tech shooting; however, the following interviews were conducted before the shootings occurred and demonstrate that even pre-VA Tech, students were concerned about gun control.
OU Democrats and Republicans
Ohio University Democrats' president, Rob Dorans, acknowledges the dissonance in the Democratic Party concerning gun control. Most Democrats are in agreement that there should be more gun control, but some feel that the current laws concerning gun control are adequate and should be enforced as they are. Dorans himself falls into the former opinion.
"Personally, I don’t think there's enough gun control, so basically what that term means is limiting the accessibility of fire arms to the general public," Dorans explained.
The current Ohio laws allow individuals to carry concealed handguns, but establishments, such as OU, can put up signs that forbid individuals from carrying guns.
"Even through you have to take safety courses (to carry a handgun), it's scary to think about average citizens walking around with guns," Dorans said.
Dorans would also like to clear up a general misunderstanding that pro-gun control individuals want to ban all firearms.
"Democrats want to limit access to firearms in an intelligent manner. Obviously someone who likes to go hunting on the weekends and follows all proper laws and procedures should be allowed to purchase a gun for hunting," Dorans commented.
Dorans adds that despite his gun control views, many members of the OU Democrats are very much in favor of decreasing gun control.
"Again we have members who share my opinion about guns and some who see no problem with guns. We [the OU Dems] don't focus a lot of our attention on gun control, but we would if the issue came up somehow," Dorans said.Ohio University Republicans' president, Jordan Carr, was the president of the OU 2nd Amendment club; therefore, gun control is a very important issue to him.
"The way it stands now, there are about 20,000 gun laws on the books in this country. Republicans for the most part are okay with where it's at now, perhaps would like to see a decrease in some restrictions, but any increases in gun control are very opposed," Carr said.
Carr also asserts that gun control itself is counter-productive and not accomplishing the goal of keeping individuals safe.
"The idea (of gun control) is to pass laws to keep criminals from obtaining guns and hurting people, which is a valid point. The only problem is that criminals, by nature, don't follow the law and laws banning them from getting guns aren't going to stop them. The laws only take guns away from people like you and me who are law-abiding citizens," Carr explained.
A major concern proposed by gun control proponents is the idea that if citizens are allowed to carry guns, our world will turn into a "kill or be killed" society and citizens will simply take the law into their own hands. Carr responds to this by asserting the 2nd Amendment.
"The 2nd Amendment was written for a reason — to give everybody some protection. The police aren't always going to be able to get to you quickly and stop the criminal from shooting you. Americans have a right to defend themselves, which is a universal right, and gun control takes that away from everyone but the criminals," Carr said.
Carr concludes that even those who carry concealed guns must go through extensive training and background checks to ensure that they are law-abiding citizens.
"In Ohio, the requirements for a concealed-carry license are very stringent including classroom work, range time, and a very in-depth background check, so the people who actually go through this course are not the people who are going to go out and commit a crime," Carr commented.
Students Speak Out
Marketing major David Behner, although skeptical, would like to see an increase in gun laws.
"People can get guns too easily even though there are laws with the waiting periods and background checks. It seems like there's a lot of violence," Behner said.
Behner worries that our society would become more violent with decreasing gun control laws.
"I don't think everyone can have guns and just start shooting when they get mad," Behner adds.
Sophomore journalism major Ryan Scarpino abides by the philosophy that "guns don’t kill people, people kill people."
"Gun control is at an all-time high, and the laws are strict enough to keep guns out of the wrong hands. Most of the guns used in crimes today are not legally purchased. Those guns are illegally sold to anyone that is interested. These people give gun owners a bad name," Scarpino said.
Scarpino, an avid hunter, has grown up with guns and feels that owning a gun, with proper identification and training, should not be taken away.
"Every person of has a right to bear arms. It is a freedom that all citizens hold. I understand that guns can be dangerous, but it is never a gun that kills; people kill people," Scarpino commented.
Although these students commented before the Virginia Tech shootings, it's clear that gun control was an already controversial topic, which recently has sparked universities around the country to examine their current safety procedures and proponents on both sides of the issue to speak out even louder.
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The next article focuses on the issue of the death penalty, a topic brought into the news following the released videotape of Saddam Hussein's execution.