MADISON, Wis. — The Associated Students of Madison hosted a day of action Dec. 15 against proposed campus carry legislation. This comes as a result of a petition, signed by over 1,000 students, opposing guns in the classroom.
“I think we’ve seen too many times before. We’ve seen these really really violent and really deadly school shootings, and I think allowing people to carry a gun in classrooms just make those shootings so much more easy to facilitate.”
Students, such as Genevieve Carter, a 5th year Masters student in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is concerned about how this will affect her small English class.
“We build a lot of trust within our small community, and having weapons entering the classroom would not only be a distraction but could also, you know, be a really dangerous thing,” she said.
Some people in the campus community, as well as legislators at the state level, feel that a bill like this is necessary for protection.
“The big concern I’ve got is the immediate area surrounding these campuses, early in the morning, late at night, just walking to and from their apartments or their vehicles, and the criminal element knowing that these folks, even if they are law-abiding concealed carry holders will not be carrying because they’re following the law, and they can’t carry them in buildings,” Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum), who has co-sponsored campus carry legislation in previous legislative sessions, said.
This is just one of several pro-gun initiatives Kremer plans to introduce in the coming year.