Students partake in a second “Empty Holster” protest
This week, empty holsters will be accompanying the wardrobe of many CU students.
The bearing of these empty holsters is part of a week-long protest hosted by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. The protestors are calling for students who have a Colorado Concealed Handgun Permit to be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.
“We’re asking for the regents to change policy and allow those who are licensed to carry a concealed weapon around the state also be allowed to carry one on campus,” Jim Manley, a third-year law student and campus leader for SCCC, said.
Manley said this week is the second “Empty Holster” protest SCCC has held. The first protest, which happened last November, had about a dozen CU students bearing the empty holster. This year, Manley said around 50 students are carrying an empty holster.
Some students say the fact that they are unable to carry a concealed weapon on campus is frightening.
“It’s a basic right to self defense,” David Knutzen, a fifth-year senior computer science major, said. “Currently, I only rely on the very fact that may or may not get shot.”
Knutzen, who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon, said gun permits are not handed out to just anyone. He said the process in which to get licensed is intense and requires about 5 or 6 weeks to complete everything needed. For his own permit, Knutzen said he had to have firearms training, submit to an extensive FBI background check and submit fingerprints on top of a $250 registration fee.
“The state also ensures that people don’t have arrests for drug or alcohol abuse, domestic violence or any other sort of violent act,” Knutzen said. “So, basically, not just anyone can be licensed.”
Manley, Knutzen and other members from SCCC gathered outside the UMC Tuesday asking students to sign a petition that asked for the regents to allow licensed students to carry a concealed weapon on campus
Not every student is a fan of the idea of having weapons on campus. Adjacent to SCCC’s protest, students not affiliated with any particular group were protesting against allowing concealed weapons.
“We don’t want people to put their minds on violence by carrying or seeing weapons on campus,” Rebecca West, a sophomore psychology major who organized the counter-protest, said.
The opposing students held a petition against concealed carry and hosted a “die-in” in which several students “played dead” in front of SCCC members. Students said by allowing guns on campus, the school would be promoting violence.
“Concealed carry is a step backwards,” Daniel Daenen, a freshman film studies major said. “It’s not working toward the end goal, which is to end violence.”
Yet, Manley said statistics showed that concealed carry has lowered rates in crime. He said concealed carry is a deterrent, whereas prohibiting students from having a gun is not effective against violence.
“Gun-free zones are proven not to work,” Manley said. “Both Virginia Tech and North Illinois University were gun-free and look what happened.”
Currently, 11 colleges across the U.S. allow for concealed carry on their campuses including Colorado State University.
“The opposition basically doesn’t believe victims should defend themselves,” Manley said.
West, who wore a shirt listing all the names of students who were killed in a school shooting during the past decade, said even if concealed carry were allowed, it would not have stopped a shooting.
“I don’t feel that if those victims were allowed to carry weapons, they would have been any safer,” West said.
Despite the stigma held about guns, members of the SCCC said they believe that concealed carry would not promote violence but instead ensure self defense.
“I want to be able to defend myself if I need to,” Knutzen said. “I hope to God that I’ll never have to, but if I need to, at least I’ll have that as an option.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Sara Fossum at Sara.fossum@colorado.edu.
