Dana Loesch. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
Dana Loesch, conservative commentator and former spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, is scheduled to speak at the University of Colorado Boulder on Oct. 10. The talk, titled “Saving the 2nd with Dana Loesch,” is being put on by CU Boulder’s chapter of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
“Dana Loesch has been one of the most vocal gun rights activists in America and I believe she will continue the conversation about the infringement of the Second Amendment,” said former TPUSA President Ashley Mayer, who helped plan the event.
Several conservative speakers visiting CU in recent years have sparked controversy. In 2018, talks from Ann Coulter and Charlie Kirk resulted in protests from CU students and faculty.
According to photos posted to the TPUSA Facebook account, several chalked advertisements around campus for Loesch’s speech have already been crossed out or erased.
“When a speaker comes to a college campus, and in this case CU Boulder, they should be accepted with open arms,” Mayer said. “I believe those who are upset about the event should be the ones who come inside and listen to Dana Loesch. We often don’t listen to the other side and I believe that is a main issue in American politics.”
However, many students feel that it is important to speak out against controversial and at times divisive speakers.
“Loesch comes from a background that directly opposes a majority of people’s ideas in Boulder,” said CU junior Shane Wisneski. “She should be allowed to speak but I definitely think that her ideas are dangerous and students should also be allowed to speak against what she stands for.”
“When a speaker comes to a college campus, and in this case CU Boulder, they should be accepted with open arms.”
Ashley Mayer, former TPUSA president
Loesch was announced as a spokesperson for the NRA in 2017, though she had previously served the NRA as an advisor for women’s policies and a commentator on NRATV. In June of 2019, the NRA cut ties with Loesch when they shut down production of NRATV. Loesch also formerly worked as a writer and editor for the far-right news site Breitbart.
As a gun rights advocate, Loesch has been at the center of controversy. She starred in an NRA ad advocating against liberal America, stating that “the only way we save our country and our freedom, is to fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth.” The ad also accused liberals of misleading the public, making them “scream racism and sexism and xenophobia and homophobia. To smash windows, burn cars … until the only option left is for the police to do their jobs and stop the madness. And when that happens, they’ll use it as an excuse for their outrage.”
The ad spurred criticsims of being racist, a view that is shared by some students at CU.
“The Muslim Student Association (MSA) is an advocate for free speech and supports it wholeheartedly,” MSA said in a statement to the CU Independent. “However, when it comes to dialogue such as the kind Dana L. practices, that targets vulnerable communities and is rooted in bigotry and ignorance, we cannot condone it.”
Last year, some members of the MSA helped to organize protests against Coulter’s talk at CU.
“MSA hopes that CU Boulder will uphold its mission statement of shaping tomorrow’s leaders and positively impacting humanity,” MSA’s statement said. “We hope CU considers credible speech and avoids speech with little to no intellectual basis.”
Loesch has spoken at university campuses in the past. Her talk at the University of Texas in May lead to protests.
The event will take place in the Math 100 lecture hall from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. No concealed carry weapons will be permitted in the event. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Hannah Metzger at hannah.metzger@colorado.edu.
