By Alyssa Sperrazza
The sounds of bullets have a distinct noise. They cut through the air and make people go tense. School shootings have become an all too common tragedy in America. Though each case is distinct, all have one thing in common: schools were gun-free zone.
Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (OIL) Representative Cooper from OSU presented a bill to approve concealed carry on university campuses. He made a compelling argument but lost by two votes – 30 to 28 – preventing the bill from going to the Senate.
“I knew it was a controversial thing,” said Rep. Cooper, “and I know that there is a large liberal group in OIL, but basically there was a few talking points I wanted to get out and kind of change people’s minds or at least get them discussing situations such as gun control or concealed carry on campuses.”
It makes sense that Rep. Cooper is for concealed carry since he’s from OSU, home of Pistol Pete, who openly carries his guns around campus.
Opposition to the bill fired back when the bill was presented and used everything from statistics to Martin Luther King quotes to keep the bill from passing.
Representative Haze, a major opposition to the bill, talked about why she would feel uncomfortable and even less safe with concealed carry aloud on campuses.
“It’s [college campuses] already a hostile environment, the culture’s not good, people are unstable, it’s a really weird time in our life and I don’t think it’s appropriate or safe at all that counters violence by giving people guns,” said Haze.
On my university’s campus, we have an annual Assassin game, where students have nerf guns and are assigned to shoot their specific person. It’s intended to be fun and be a campus-wide event. It could be considered though, to advocate violence. And the threat is very real today. I have thought multiple times, walking across campus, how easy it would be for someone to walk into the student union and start shooting. It’s a depressing thought, but one I think a lot of college students and even younger students have thought at one point or another. Universities have increased security but open campuses are vulnerable.
Representative Cooper fought well and the bill was an incredibly close call. He discussed the importance of remembering all people’s rights, including the 2nd amendment.
“You can’t go on a campus or anywhere and discriminate people for the color of their skin or their religion or anything of that sort,” said Cooper. “There are laws put in place to protect people from situations like that. But there are no laws in place to protect yourself or for your 2nd amendment rights.”