Experts clashed on the role of guns and gun control in America in a debate attended by over 100 students, staff and community members at the Newman Center last Thursday.
The debate was part of “Counterpoints,” a series commenced in the spring of 2011 by the Department of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences in an attempt to bring experts from various policy areas together to discuss contemporary issues. Thursday’s debate was sponsored by the DU Institute of Public Policy Studies and was moderated by former three-term Colorado governor and DU public policy professor Richard Lamm.
The debate, entitled “Gun Control: Balancing Responsible Policy and the Right to Bear Arms,” included a panel consisting of Randy Baumgardner, Colorado state senator from Senate District 8; Arnie Grossman, liberal political consultant and co-founder of Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic (SAFE); John Head, lawyer and community activist; and Dudley Brown, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Club.
Topics addressed included policy changes surrounding gun control, availability of assault rifles, connection between guns and crime, school safety and requirements for gun ownership. All panelists agreed on the importance of keeping guns away from criminals and the mentally ill, but beliefs diverged on how to accomplish this goal.
Brown stated that enforcing gun control is not feasible, and to do so is unconstitutional. He called for repeal of most gun control laws to allow citizens their freedom and liberty, and pointed to the major role Americans’ knowledge about guns has played in U.S. success in wars. He also outlined a program he currently provides to train teachers how to use concealed weapons, which he said could effectively contribute to student safety.
“The real question is: Are we going to let law-abiding citizens defend themselves?” said Brown.
Grossman advocated for an open-license policy, in which guns people carry must be visible, because he said that people should be able to know if someone near them is carrying a weapon. He warned against arming people such as teachers with guns, saying the crossfire that might ensue in an emergency could lead to a tragedy.
“We can cut back on the number of guns without cutting down peoples’ rights,” said Grossman. “More guns are more opportunities for bad people—if everyone is armed, you’re asking for trouble.”
Baumgardner responded to Grossman’s comments by saying that guns were not to blame for much of the violence in the U.S. He claimed that more people in the U.S. were bludgeoned to death than those killed by gunshots, to which audience members began responding from their seats, with one person audibly stating, “We need a source for that.”
Baumgardner said that he believes people should be able to defend themselves against criminals. As an example, he told a story of a woman in Georgia who was able to protect herself and her children from an intruder using the family gun, without which, he stated, the family would not have survived.
While Baumgardner said he agreed there were many issues to be resolved concerning gun control, he did not believe restricting gun access or ownership would change criminal behavior in relation to guns.
“Taking guns out of the hands of citizens that are law abiding is not the answer,” said Baumgardner.
Head disagreed, saying, “If guns were so effective at preventing violence and protecting homes, we wouldn’t have to go to Georgia for an example.”
Head continued by saying too many people die from gunshot-related incidents every year, and that small steps could be taken to deal with the problems related to gun control.
He emphasized the need for better mental health procedures to restrict the access of the mentally ill to guns, and called for licensing and training requirements for anyone who buys a gun. He also argued strongly against civilian ownership of automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
“You don’t go hunting with an AR-15,” he said. “To say that you want to go hunting with that is ludicrous.”
