In the past few months – the topic of gun control has permeated the media, the election – and naturally, your Facebook news feed, flooded with posts full of strong opinions from both sides of the argument.
But what do collegiettes think? We asked 12 college women if they thought the gun control laws in this country should be modified – check out what they said below.
“Based on the events that took place in 2015, it is clear that guns are an exceptional problem in our country. While I can understand why people would want them for practical reasons, and also to feel safe, it’s too unrealistic to imagine that everyone who had a gun would be responsible. For this reason, I think there should be stricter gun control.”
-Gina, Cal Poly Class of 2017
“I think guns are the biggest danger to the country at the moment. They are killing more innocent people than they are ‘protecting.’ We are the only civilized country in the world with this problem and it’s sickening. Gun laws need to be stricter to prohibit all automatic weapons and drastically change how easy it is to possess a gun.”
-Shannon, Stony Brook University Class of 2018
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“If stricter background checks were required in order to purchase guns and we had a national protocol, I believe there would be less school shootings and other gun-related problems.”
-Rachel, James Madison University Class of 2017
“Gun control should not be increased. Lawful citizens use them as self-defense for good reason. Do people think that by banning or increasing gun control, the black market is going to magically disappear? Bad people will still exist. It’s not morally correct to take away a defense mechanism from an innocent, law-abiding citizen, because criminals will still find a way to lay their hands on guns. A common comparison I like is: spoons and forks don’t make people fat, people become fat because they eat too much, which happens to be with spoons and forks. Just like guns don’t kill people, people kill people, because they decided that’s how they wanted to use an inanimate object. If anything, more surveillance over guns would be acceptable — a more thorough background check, and if needed a psychiatric analysis. But don’t take away an item that could potentially save someone’s life by self-defense. Nearly 200,000 women use guns every year for self defense while being sexually assaulted. Do you still want to take them away?”
-Shaela, MNSU Class of 2017
“There should absolutely be a change to gun control laws in the U.S. Right now, it is legal for someone on the terror watch list to obtain a weapon, which is ridiculous and to be honest, scary. The laws that many Democrats are proposing are in no way trying to take guns away from upstanding citizens — they are only trying to keep them out of the wrong hands through completely reasonable measures like background checks.”
-Sarah, University of Connecticut Class of 2016
“I think there should be stricter background checks for purchasing guns, but guns should not be eliminated from the country entirely. Many of the guns bought for malicious purchases are due to lenient background checks. Perhaps there should be a mandatory psych evaluation before purchasing a gun. However, I don’t think outlawing firearms is going to stop the gun violence epidemic. That will only come with a shift in society’s glorification of violence and reevaluation of the country’s mental health system.”
-Natalie, San Francisco State University Class of 2017
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“I was raised around guns. My dad hunts and has taken me target shooting on a fairly regular basis for as long as I can remember. One of my early memories is of sitting on the floor in my parents’ bedroom and watching my dad clean a rifle. I remember going squirrel hunting and helping butcher deer and failing to hit clay pigeons. Guns have simply always been a part of my life. And largely because of that, I know how to act around guns. I’ve been told since I learned how to walk that you never point a gun at anything you don’t want to kill. End of story. Because of my background with guns, I feel comfortable and safe around them. But I know that not everyone has had the same experiences I have had. Not everyone learned basic gun safety as a toddler. This may surprise you, but I do think we need stricter gun laws. Not ‘taking away people’s guns,’ but just making sure you’re sane before you buy a gun. Making sure you know how to safely handle a gun before letting you buy one. I’m all for letting people have their guns — we just need to not be stupid about it.”
-Paige, Kenyon College Class of 2018
“I think the gun laws need to be changed. With the amount of violent shooting that happen in the United States I would say its irresponsible to leave the gun laws in their current state. I would like the United States government’s gun laws to mirror that of the United Kingdom, Australia, or Sweden.”
-Kaitlin, Chatham University Class of 2017
“I think the only thing that should change about gun control laws is that people should be required to prove past mental history, so as to determine if a person is emotionally stable enough to be able to handle a gun and/or be responsible with a gun in that way. Otherwise, I think gun control laws should remain unchanged. There will always be violence and no amount of legal regulation on weapons will change that. People will always find a way to get a hold of the things they want.”
-Micki, Mizzou Class of 2018
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“As I’m British, the only gun crimes I’ve ever really heard of have been in the U.S. It’s scary and sickening to think of all the people who have died just because pretty much any idiot in America can buy a gun. It amazes me how some U.S. citizens are so pro-guns. Guns are literally killing machines. Are that many people willing to shoot to hurt or kill someone else? It’s a terrifying thought and really puts me off travelling to America. I hope they do change gun laws, I myself find it hard to see the pros after living happily in Britain for 22 years without needing guns in my life.”
-Sarah, University of Nottingham Class of 2016
“Some things need to be changed. First, I don’t think there is any logical reason for the average American to need to own an assault weapon — unless the zombie apocalypse comes. Background checks should be mandatory and people convicted of violent crimes should be barred from purchasing guns. They however should be legal. Also minors should not be legally allowed to fire anything more than a BB gun or simple hunting rifle, and their parents should have to be legally liable for them, register them, and make sure they attend gun safety courses.”
-Melissa, SUNY New Paltz Class of 2017
“We should have more gun control in America. While our constitution clearly states ‘the right to keep and bear arms,’ it was written in a time when that was a must. However, people should have background checks for mental illness and precious criminal record in order to purchase a gun. Purchasing a gun should be harder. Why? Because guns are made to kill. Saying ‘guns don’t kill, the person behind the gun does’ is ridiculous because people were not made to kill. Guns, on the other hand, were.
-Emilie, University of Utah Class of 2017