After reading a recent letter to the editor (“As gun violence escalates, the need for campus carry grows”), I was shocked by the inaccuracy of author Kayla Behnke’s argument.
Behnke referred to a planned “Cocks Not Glocks” protest as “a small group of students choosing to protest the proposed legislation in the spring semester by carrying sex toys around campus. These immature protests have diminished the importance of their stance.”
Letter to the Editor: As gun violence escalates, the need for campus carry grows
Much like President Donald Trump and his press secretary recently referring to the long-deceased anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglass as if he was alive and still doing great things, Behnke seems blissfully unaware of the fact the protest she was dismissing actually didn’t happen. I should know, as I was the organizer who put forward the planned action in response to the anticipated introduction of campus carry legislation.
This is one of many factual mistakes in her writing. Campus carry legislation, or Assembly bill 470, was proposed last spring and failed. Cocks Not Glocks received official registered student organization standing just weeks ago and, as I mentioned, the protest has not yet occurred. Instead, what Behnke seeks to dismiss as an “immature” protest was actually initiated as an effort to draw attention to the absurdity of campus carry and act as an educational tool around the issue.
In that sense, it’s already been an undeniable success, as the leader of the Wisconsin Assembly Republicans has already questioned the necessity of again introducing a bill that went absolutely nowhere in the previous session. If the Legislature decides to move on the bill, we will move on our protest, despite Behnke’s premature and overheated attack on our effort.
Additionally, Behnke makes the argument students should have the right to protect themselves because of the university police’s inability to quickly and efficiently react to a mass shooting. “According to the Department of Justice, the best response times for police after a 911 call is four minutes,” Behnke writes.
Academic freedom, UW funding, campus carry: Editorial Board’s spring 2017 stories to watch
This statistic not only undermines our capable and hard-working university police department, but it also fails to acknowledge the fact our police respond from a spot on campus, not in an alternative area in a city or town, and thus the smaller scale undoubtedly allows for a faster reaction time.
Finally, Behnke does not address the sheer facility of obtaining a concealed carry permit. It is a fact that in Wisconsin, one can obtain a concealed carry permit without ever having touched a firearm and with no specific-time-required training. I happen to believe the good intentions of self-styled “good guys with guns” are going to be no match for actual training and experience (such as that received by university police) when it comes to reacting to a mass shooting in a way which would prevent further violence, death and tragedy.
We must acknowledge the minimal safety training requirements for obtaining a concealed carry permit represent too large of a risk. Passing campus carry legislation under these shallow requirements would undoubtedly lead to violence at the University of Wisconsin and across the UW System. Pretending otherwise may earn plaudits and job offers from the National Rifle Association but does nothing to enhance the quality of life on our campus.
Katherine Kerwin ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and geography.
