Every week, the Vanguard asks people around the PSU Park Blocks a hot-topic question.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Brandon Navas, 20, is skeptical of campus security using guns. “I’ve heard a lot of news lately about shootings, and they are getting progressively worse because people are getting better with guns. Maybe it would be nice if shooters were a little more hesitant for the reason that security are also using guns,” Navas said. “But then again, I wouldn’t want to have to go to a school where there are guns, so I’m a little conflicted.”
Reshell Smith, 24, a senior human resources and management student, feels it’s necessary for campus security to have guns for certain situations. “I think that they need to be protected and be able to protect others,” Smith said. “If having a gun is going to help alleviate some situation or stop some kind of crime, it doesn’t mean they have to use it, but the thought that it would be there and accessible if needed would be a good thing.”
Freshman Russian major Huell White, 20, has lived in the United Kingdom, where police don’t carry firearms. White believes firearms are unnecessary on a safe campus like PSU. “Especially in Portland, I don’t know if it’s entirely necessary. It seems like a bit of an overkill. Especially since we have trained personnel to use the weapons, and I keep hearing about people being shot because some cop drew his gun too early. It’s hard to tell. From what I’ve heard from my friends, it’s a pretty campus, so I don’t see why they would need to take an extra step,” White said.
Sophomore theater arts student Bryan Kinder, 19, is apprehensive about guns. “I personally don’t like guns, nor the use of guns, because if they fall into the wrong hands, they can become dangerous weapons,” Kinder said. “I’m not sure I’m super comfortable with that, but if they’re trained in safety and they’re kept safe, I’m okay with it.”
D’Vaughn McCrae, 19, a sophomore English student, feels that defense weapons are necessary on campus, but finds guns to be an extreme measure. “It seems unnecessary to me because how often would you need it on campus? The couple years, or year I’ve been here, there hasn’t been anything that extreme where you’d need a gun. Okay, a stun gun, sure, that could come in handy, but a gun seems a little extreme,” McCrae said. “I guess that would require more training for campus security, to make sure they know when to use it and how, since they’re easy to mess up with.”
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