I know, you’re receiving a lot of backlash about this. You probably don’t care about this coming from a VCU student, but I have some words for you, Mr. Falwell Jr.
I respect that Liberty is a Christian school, I do. I respect that you have convocation and religion classes that are suppose to teach your students about the life and teachings of Jesus. I respect the fact that you are a part of the world’s largest Christian University.
However, I do not respect you allowing firearms in residence halls on campus. I do not respect the fear you are instilling amongst the Liberty community by making them believe they will be safer with guns in their dorms and around campus, concealed or not. Hear me out here.
This year alone there have been 353 mass shootings in the U.S. Out of those 353, only seven have happened in the state of Virginia. One of them happened in Richmond on Apr. 19 this year where four were wounded, yet you don’t see the students carrying firearms on campus.
Though you say your biggest concern is your students, the most you are instilling in them is more fear. Fear that there will be a terrorist in your campus. Fear that someone different than you will make you feel uncomfortable.
What makes me wonder is why you are so concerned with the student’s safety after the San Bernardino shootings when San Bernardino is around 2,243 mi away from Liberty University. Why not after the Charleston Shooting? Or Colorado Springs, Colorado? Roseburg, Oregon? Why now, and why single out “those Muslims” when there have been so many other terrorist attacks made by white, “Christian”, Americans? Why allow students to put themselves in danger, and not increase security? If San Bernardino affected the Liberty community so much, why not offer counseling services so that students are able to cope with what is happening in this country?
I do not understand how the main ideals of Christianity: love, peace and forgiveness, can be thrown out the window and be replaced with the fear that ISIS is trying to put into the world’s heads. I’m not saying those are still not your ideals, but when an alarmingly amount of students cheer at a new policy that promotes fear, and violence and gun use… Well, that just doesn’t seem like something Jesus would do. I can’t help but applaud at the number of students that are questioning how this is suppose to reflect what the university stands for.
Matthew 5:21 states “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.” Are your students really the ones to judge on who gets to live or not? More importantly, do you deem them ready to make a decision of that sort if, God forbid, the time came to do so?
I know that you are the Flames, but fighting fire with fire never solves anything.