Michigan State students call for gun control action

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The shooting at Michigan State has re-sparked the debate over gun control. It was kind of dying, really, despite the constant calls for assault weapon bans following shootings that didn’t involve assault weapons.

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Now, it’s back.

The entire state is abuzz with talk of passing significant gun control this session and is likely to see more next year.

It seems many on the university campus support this.

When it comes to the topic of gun control and reforming Michigan’s gun laws, doing nothing isn’t cutting it anymore.

That was the message gun violence survivors – including those who survived mass shootings at Oxford High School, Michigan State University and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – emphasized at a press conference Monday, Feb. 20, in Lansing.

The group gathered to urge lawmakers to take swift action on nearly a dozen bills recently introduced in the Senate that seek to implement universal background checks for all firearm owners, create red flag laws and encourage the safe storage of guns in Michigan.

“I’m here because I’m angry,” said Madeline Johnson, a student at Oxford High School when a shooting there in 2021 left four of her classmates dead. “I’m angry … that four children died at my high school, including my best friend, and that their lives were not worth enough to you to enact change.”

Johnson was one of a handful of students to speak Monday, expressing anger, heartbreak and outrage over a lack of movement on any sort of gun reform in Michigan despite having two mass shootings in two years at academic institutions.

“No amount of thoughts or prayers, no rhetorical gymnastics will make sense of what happened last week,” said Victor Rodriguez-Pereira, a faculty member of romance and classical studies at MSU. “Comprehensive gun legislation and wide accessibility to mental health resources are the only step forward to avoid something like this happening to anyone else.”

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Of course, it’s unsurprising that these folks would get the spotlight.

However, not everyone agrees with these activists. In fact, not everyone at Michigan State agrees with them. There are pro-gun students and possibly even faculty there on the campus.

Where are their voices? Why aren’t they sought out when the media starts talking about the opinions of those who survived such violence?

Not every survivor turns to gun control. Many make have to do a bit of soul-searching, but some come out on the other end recognizing that gun control isn’t the answer. They oppose all of these measures being supported by this bunch.

Why don’t we hear from them?

Oh, some are afraid to speak up because they don’t want to be ostracized on their campuses, but many others would love to speak out.

Frankly, there’s no clearer evidence of media bias than how they cover the student body after a school shooting. There’s not one word about the pro-gun students, just those crusading for gun control.

I’m going to point this out at every opportunity because the truth is that this is total BS and we all know it.

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