Not everyone has a blast with gun use
Issue date: 4/7/05 Section: Opinion/Editorial
Although the Campus Conservatives don't exactly bill themselves as a feminist organization, it's especially important for female students to know how to use a gun - such was the mindset of one RA who went to the event because she was always afraid of firearms.
As highlighted by the recent reading of "The Vagina Monologues," violence against women is alive and well - a prime reason why women need to know how to defend themselves. Perhaps some other campus groups should reinterpret the shooting range idea, and give it more of a self-defense slant.
Okay, that's not likely. It's curious why groups who speak out against violence aren't more willing to learn self-defense. They point to guns as the problem, but guns aren't going away - like, ever. It's just a matter if the bad guys (or girls) have a monopoly over them, or if everyone has access.
Just like guns, the debate around them isn't going away any time soon. Supporters of the Second Amendment will always dismiss gun control as ineffective, and gun control advocates will always dismiss the Second Amendment as obsolete.
What's important is that people engage in discussion. Although the event was sadly under-attended, the Campus Conservatives stirred up some controversy, something rarely done by liberal groups on campus. No one opposed "The Vagina Monologues," or the drag ball, though Webster Pride had to ask people not to throw things when the Baptist Student Union brought someone who changed his sexuality for God.
We're more likely to discuss something that pisses us off rather than something that fills us with joy. Good reason to support to the presence of a conservative group on campus, even if their idea of fun is firing assault rifles after school.
Lindsey Pilcher, a senior global journalism major, is the managing editor for The Journal.
As highlighted by the recent reading of "The Vagina Monologues," violence against women is alive and well - a prime reason why women need to know how to defend themselves. Perhaps some other campus groups should reinterpret the shooting range idea, and give it more of a self-defense slant.
Okay, that's not likely. It's curious why groups who speak out against violence aren't more willing to learn self-defense. They point to guns as the problem, but guns aren't going away - like, ever. It's just a matter if the bad guys (or girls) have a monopoly over them, or if everyone has access.
Just like guns, the debate around them isn't going away any time soon. Supporters of the Second Amendment will always dismiss gun control as ineffective, and gun control advocates will always dismiss the Second Amendment as obsolete.
What's important is that people engage in discussion. Although the event was sadly under-attended, the Campus Conservatives stirred up some controversy, something rarely done by liberal groups on campus. No one opposed "The Vagina Monologues," or the drag ball, though Webster Pride had to ask people not to throw things when the Baptist Student Union brought someone who changed his sexuality for God.
We're more likely to discuss something that pisses us off rather than something that fills us with joy. Good reason to support to the presence of a conservative group on campus, even if their idea of fun is firing assault rifles after school.
Lindsey Pilcher, a senior global journalism major, is the managing editor for The Journal.
