Here’s a video of the proceedings from the ASUA meeting tonight.
Sorry for the poor quality video and audio — I recorded it with my cellphone video camera, which is clearly not the best recording tool. Such is life.
I’ll go through the videos and add annotations/captions in the future.
At several points, I wanted to say to the pro-gun people, “Stop it. You’re not helping.” — we’re not talking about the Second Amendment, nor guns in parking lots, nor anything else. We’re talking about whether the ASUA, the University of Arizona student government, should support or oppose a state senate bill that would allow faculty with valid CCW permits to carry concealed firearms on campus. Your efforts basically confirm every negative stereotype, though most of the pro-gun females who spoke were clear, articulate, and made some good points. This is a matter of giving responsible adults — professors, specifically — the choice to carry a firearm on campus if they wish.
The ASUA is holding a voting meeting tomorrow in the Ventana Room at the Student Union at 5:00pm. They’ll allow a brief period of public discussion on the topics (the gun issue is the first thing on the schedule, so show up promptly), but then the ASUA Senate will have their own discussions and vote on the matter. I highly encourage decent public speakers (i.e. not like those who spoke tonight) to attend and speak tomorrow. If we get good public speakers, particularly those who don’t fit into classic stereotypes of gun owners (e.g. women, disabled, professors, etc.), that could go a long way toward getting the ASUA to support this measure.
8 thoughts on “ASUA Public Forum After Action Report”
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Great to find this site, and thanks for the video update.
I should have a few more substantive remarks on this post at a more reasonable hour, but it should be emphasized that the text of the resolution does in fact address the “guns-in-cars” provision:
“WHEREAS, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Senate has serious concerns with the recent revisions to the Arizona Board of Regents policies 5-303 ?Prohibited Conduct? and 5-308 ?Students Code of Conduct? allowing firearms on campus stored in locked vehicles or locked containers on motorcycles. Although we recognize ABOR made these changes to be consistent with A.R.S. 12-781, we request and support ABOR using all means possible to petition an exception to this status for all higher education institutions in the State of Arizona.”
I have trouble seeing how it wasn’t reasonable to raise concerns about this clause during the forum.
Source: http://www.desertlamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/agenda-s-2.3.doc (page 3)
Evan: I stand corrected regarding the parking lot issue. However, the issue was presented to the public (both by the Daily Wildcat and on the paper presented to all attendees at the forum) as relating solely to ASUA’s opinion on the faculty CCW issue, hence the confusion.
I am surprised you didn’t speak… you have always been eloquent in my conversations in the past… I would encourage you to speak tonight if you can make it…
Richard: Thank you. Unfortunately, I had not prepared remarks (it was somewhat short notice), and I didn’t want to come across as an idiot. đŸ™‚
Alas, I cannot make it tonight, as I have quantum mechanics homework due tomorrow, so I must finish that up after I get off work at 5. Such is life.
One of the biggest problems I see with the pro-Second Amendment crowd is making the case that freer gun rights is better for everyone, and not just the people who carry. The anti-gun crowd can easily prey on the fears who have no opinion one way or another, saying things like “ZOMG!!!! It’ll be the Wild West in the English Department!”
Making the case that informed, conscientious, law-abiding CCW holders who carry are a threat only to people who would do others harm is tougher sell to people unfamiliar with the issue.
As someone who was seated directly next to AZ Rifleman in this discussion, I also found the pro-gun side to be rather troubling.
It seemed as if they had hijacked the forum to discuss the benefits of the RKBA as a whole, which was beside the point of the forum, making our side look like a bunch of zealots looking for a soapbox.
More on point, I personally find the legislation at hand to be rather unacceptable, which was largely why I did not speak at this forum. Why is it that a professor with a CC permit is somehow more trustworthy than myself, a student with a valid CC permit, who practices with his CCW frequently whenever time permits? We both underwent the same courses, background checks, etc, but the professor, simply due to their advanced age and education is more deserving of a means of defense than myself? I don’t like legislation that discriminates, and that’s precisely what this legislation does.
I see the argument for baby-steps, but I believe the AZ legislature has the political capital to abolish college campuses as victim disarmament zones, and should do so, instead of simply allowing professors to be legally armed and entitled to the best means of self-defense. It’s like the CCW bills for cops… I don’t believe the right direction to move in terms of further thing the RKBA is to establish separate classes of citizens, and then designate some of them more deserving of self-defense than others. I see that as a dangerous path to tread.
*Furthering, not further thing
My ability to type is unfortunately unable to keep up with my ability to think