Guns on campus don't make sense.

Write to the Governor
  1. U.S. Mail Address

    2. The Honorable Janice K. Brewer
    Arizona Governor
    Executive Tower
    1700 West Washington Street
    Phoenix, AZ 85007

     

  2. Your letter should be clear and to the point, making a case against guns on campus in a positive tone.

 

  1. Start by indentifying yourself as a citizen of Arizona, and a registered voter if you are so.  Make sure to include your return address.

  2. Make clear that you are opposed to any legislation that would allow guns on community college and university campuses.

  3. Give one or more reasons why Campus Police should not be interfered with in their job of securing college campuses, be specific, do not engage in the larger issue of the gun debate, and stick to the guns-on-campus issue.  Below are several reasons to consider including (please paraphrase):

 

      • College campuses have provided a remarkably safe environment for education, for both faculty and students.  Campus police should be allowed to continue to manage campus safety.

      • I support the 2nd Amendment but a bill allowing guns on campus is not a common sense gun law that will make campuses safer.

      • The job of securing college campuses should not be interfered with by the Arizona Legislature.

      • A civilian shooter, whether student or adult, is likely to have minimal training.  Reacting under the extreme stress of a school shooting, the civilian shooter poses a grave threat to students and staff, which can be caught in the crossfire.

      • In a survey of over 400 campus police chiefs, the Journal of American College Health concluded that 86% of campus police chiefs disagreed or strongly disagreed that "allowing students to carry concealed weapons on campus would prevent some or all campus killings."

      • Last year an American Viewpoint Poll showed 75 percent of Arizonans and 72 percent of gun owners are opposed to allowing guns on campus.  American Viewpoint is a firm which polls for Republicans and conservatives.

      • There are many reasons why it would be dangerous to introduce guns into community colleges and universities and there is much at stake for both safety and the effectiveness of the learning and teaching experience.

      • Protecting the free expression of faculty and students is a primary objective for campus security.  Faculty must be able to address controversial subjects in the process of educating students and they must make decisions about student performance which students don’t always agree with.  A proliferation of guns will interfere with the educational process.

    1. Thank the governor for considering what you have written and ask for a response.