TO THE EDITOR:
As an exchange student, I found myself reading the gun debate in the DTH (“Viewpoints,” Mar. 14) with mild amusement at the absurdity that such a debate was genuinely occurring within a liberal minded school such as UNC.
However, this amusement rapidly turned into discomfort with the realization that a significant number of my peers valued their right to self-defense over the safety and welfare of others.
Holgate’s argument that banning students from carrying weapons on campus makes a less safe environment ignores the overwhelming statistics of gun related violence.
America’s firearm mortality rate far exceeds countries of similar economic and political development. Moreover, the number of accidental deaths involving firearms significantly overshadows the frequency of events such as the Virginia Tech massacre.
The rare possibility of such a tragic event occurring at UNC did not discourage me from coming on exchange, but the opportunity for fellow students to carry weapons on campus makes me feel more than queasy; it would altogether stop me from choosing to study at UNC.
The answer to making our school environment safer does not lie in allowing every student to carry guns, but by restricting access to weapons in the first place. I understand the importance placed on the Second Amendment, but it can’t be a justification for all pro-gun arguments. Perhaps it’s time to reevaluate the value placed on the right to bear arms.
Katie Noonan
Junior
Political Science
