College campuses should be safe spaces for students. But in the U.S., they aren’t, as this month’s mass shooting at Brown University proved.
After reading Megan Trotter’s article “Pittsburgh-area natives share their stories of Brown University shooting” (Dec. 15, TribLive), which detailed how Brown students from the Pittsburgh area were impacted by the incident, I felt sorrow and disgust. Sorrow for the kids. Disgust for the generation of elected officials who have repeatedly failed to take action and keep our students safe.
Thoughts and prayers aren’t going to solve this uniquely American problem. Meaningful, commonsense gun policies will. But change won’t happen without increased pressure from the public. The Pennsylvania General Assembly failed as recently as September to pass meaningful, commonsense gun laws that would protect Pennsylvanians from gun violence. The United States Congress is currently trying to weaken state gun laws by pushing a federal concealed carry mandate.
If, in the wake of yet another mass shooting, none of this makes sense to you, now is the time to make your voice heard. Call your Pennsylvania state representative and tell them how you feel about their vote in September. Text GUT to 644-33 to tell Congress to oppose the concealed carry mandate.
Rachel Reilly
Ross