Overlooked: Allowing Guns On Campus — Feb 25th 2008

By Dakota Smith

Overlooked Story: Utah Students Hide Guns, Head to Class
Submitted By: Pamcak3

Last week, Joshua Molina, a senior at Utah's Brigham Young University and a campus correspondent for CNN, interviewed students at the University of Utah for a story on campuses and gun control. Utah is currently the only state that allows students and professors to carry guns on a public campus, but legislation that could allow concealed handguns on campuses is pending in about 14 states, according to the Washington, D.C-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Those in favor of such statutes argue that a would-be killer may be less likely to attack on a campus if both students and teachers are armed. Opponents insist that guns don't belong in the drinking-heavy college environment. For his story, Molina hung out with a student who carried a concealed weapon. Propeller's Dakota Smith caught up with him by phone on Monday.

Propeller: What's been the reaction from people since the story came out?

Joshua Molina: I've gotten a lot of emails from people who know me, saying congratulations on the article, along with a ton of messages on Facebook from people I don't know. I also heard from one of the Virginia Tech victims, who wrote, "Thanks for showing this side of the story, most of the time the media only shows one side of the story."

Propeller: When you talked to students at the University of Utah, what was the general reaction to having guns in the school?

Molina: I thought most people would be against it. I still think the majority of people are. But I was surprised at the number of students who don't mind [guns on campuses], or actually want them in school. Of course, you have to consider the demographic. You're in the western part of the country. I am from New Jersey, and where I grew up, you just don't have guns. But it's a different culture here.

Propeller: When you were with the student who had the gun, did other students know that he was armed?

Molina: The student said that most of his friends figured out who he was after the article came out. But no, you wouldn't know he carries a gun. He prefers it that way, that's why it's a concealed weapon.

Propeller: Would somebody like this student carry the gun everywhere, or just on campus?

Molina: The students that I talked to that carry guns on campus already carried guns in other public places. For a while students couldn't carry guns on the University of Utah campus because of a school rule, but the Utah Supreme Court overturned that rule in 2006. Since then, and especially since the Virginia Tech shootings, students have chosen to carry their concealed guns to school as well. They wanted to feel protected if another shooting occurred.

Propeller: Did the students or professors that you spoke to discuss other methods of preventing Virginia Tech-like incidents?

Molina: I don't think there is a dialogue about it all. People liked my article because it opened up a conversation on the topic, but no, they haven't offered alternative suggestions.

Propeller: At Brigham Young University, where you got to school, how do students feel about allowing weapons on campus?

Molina: You can't have guns on campus because it is a private institution, and they make the rules. But you can check guns at the dorm, you can leave them with someone at the front desk. I think most people feel safe here knowing that there are no guns, but I think that attitude is also changing.

Propeller: When these school shootings take place, what happens on your campus? Do students watch TV and talk about it, or have they become blasé?

Molina: I think we've been desensitized since Columbine. That was the first one, and I remember watching CNN and all the coverage. But since then, there have been so many other ones and so much media coverage. If it's not a local shooting, we don't spend that much time on it. Last year, there was a shooting at the Trolley Square Mall [in Salt Lake City], and people at our school sat around and watched TV and cried, but that's because it was local.

Propeller: When you are sitting in class, do you think about the possibility of a shooting?

Molina: It's crossed my mind. But even after interviewing these people, it's not in my forefront of my thoughts. Until it hits us closely and personally, it's hard to treat [security issues] as a priority.

Propeller: Now that you've done the story, what's your take on the issue?

Molina: I don't have a stance on this issue, but after researching the topic and interviewing people who are on either side of the issue, I'm coming to a more educated opinion about it.

Tags: gun control, utah

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