Students gathered in the Skylight Lounge Thursday evening to discuss concealed carry and its implications on campus. With the recently passed House Bill 172, along with months of discussion about guns in university facilities spanning all the way back to last legislative session, discussions about firearms are more relevant than ever.
BridgeUWYO, a multi partisan discussion organization, partnered with libertarian organization Young Americans for Liberty to host a science fair-style event where presenters set up poster boards and spoke on their opinions, and research, on campus carry.
Aidan McGuire, one of the presenters, stated, “There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that in states with permitless concealed carry or open carry, interactions with law enforcement are more dangerous. Cops know that folks are more likely to have a gun and so a routine traffic stop becomes a situation where they’re worried they’ll get shot.”
This is a sentiment that has been heard across all of these conversations, from the town-hall, to legislative testimony, to the recent protests. Students want their voice to be heard, and many of them do not support campus carry.
BridgeUWYO Vice President, Hayden Mackenzie, added some insight, “These are important conversations that need to happen on campus. We need to get everyone to the table to be able to make informed conclusions about big topics like this.”
He also added that veterans should be considered in the conversations, as they have experience with firearms and their voices have not been a strongly considered throughout this process.
The voice of veterans is not the only one being potentially overlooked, however, Sophia Gomelsky stated during the fair, “The legislature didn’t hear the concerns of the professors. People think it’s a bad idea to repeal gun free zones.”
The zones themselves were often the bigger part of the points many of the speakers were making. Whether or not guns should be allowed in dorms, gyms, and athletic events were all on the table.
Gomelsky added on the issue of dorms, “I think the campus becomes a lot less safe from the suicides. It’s hard to tell if I have the gun legally or not and do I tell my roommate? I don’t think you should be able to have a concealed weapon in the dorms.”
Students across campus have shared their voices at the legislature and at the university level, but this was one of the first times students put on an event for students regarding this issue. The science fair format allowed for input from a variety of different parties and gave them a platform to share their stances to their peers, rather than figures of authority.
JW Rzeszut, president of Young Americans for Liberty, came to offer his stance on a potential alternative, or additive measure, for the gun conversation. His petitioning for tazers is something he sees as an “easy, safe, and effective” way to stay safe on campus. “Our campus currently prohibits tazers, and we have received an F in campus safety.”
With this in mind, the gun conversation becomes not a question of personal protection itself, but a question of method. Students at the fair and across campus have all been asking if guns are the necessary measure to make campus safe.
Ultimately, with the passage of HB172, the landscape at UW is going to change. Student led events like this one give insight into what students really think about the policies being passed around them.
