Gun control laws have been called to the nation’s attention this election year in the aftermath of mass shootings in Colo. and Wis. this summer. The Sept. 29 shooting in the Bryn Mawr area of Minneapolis brought the topic even closer to home.
Orono students call to question gun control law’s place in personal safety and personal rights. While the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights protects citizens’ right to “bear arms”, or own weapons, people question whether that amendment is relevant in the modern world.
Just over half of the 36 Orono students surveyed said that they or their family owned at least one gun, and each of those families owned about five guns on average. In an area like Orono, where hunting and clay target shooting are popular sports, most students would rather not change gun control laws. They do not believe that stricter regulations are necessary.
“I always think the more strict they are with rules, the more they get abused,” said senior Kristen Kocsis.“If they made them more intense, it would cause more problems.”
Junior Cole Timco has been passionate about gun control for years and became especially interested in the role gun control had played in the Aurora and Milwaukee shootings. “He [James Holmes, alleged gunman in the Aurora shooting] wasn’t registered as a hunter. He wasn’t registered at any shooting ranges. He was buying the weapon randomly. I think the system should be better, but there shouldn’t be more restrictions.”
Freshman Carter Pickens, on the other hand, doesn’t think that any checks like that would make a difference. “No one really knew,” he said.
Every one of the aforementioned shooters obtained their weapons legally. There were no indications in the required background checks that would suggest the outbursts of violence they committed.
Arms such as rifles and handguns are not always used for violent actions. In Minnesota, about 42 percent of households own at least one gun, and most are used for sport. Shooting is an Olympic sport, and Orono has its own trap team for students.
Gun ownership restrictions have long been debated as to whether it is effective in preventing violence or not. While it may create more steps to go through for potential gun owners, that is not to say that guns will be contained or controlled. Washington, DC. has the most extensive gun control laws in the nation, but it also has the highest homicide and violent crime rate.
Of the students interviewed, not one of them suggested banning guns as a solution. “I think there’s some places that you should have a gun,” Kocsis said. “If you live in a very unsafe part of town…then you should be able to have a gun in case something were to happen to you or your family.”
“Essentially, by having more gun control, you are promoting crime by disarming the victim,” Timco said. “If [criminals] want the gun, they’re going to get the gun, and it doesn’t matter if it’s legal or illegal.”
Maddie Mayhew is the Editor in Chief – Online of The Spartan Speaks.
