Athens, GA–

A bill allowing guns on college campuses has sparked a heated debate on this campus. Reporter Iris Garrett tells us how some students were against the bill, but then… others weren’t.

However, it also felt just like a conversation between the two speakers and the audience. Questions were thrown back and forth, but it was all really about this House bill 512.

HB 512 will greatly expand gun owners’ rights and will allows gun to be carried onto college campuses, and in classrooms, churches, and bars.

Students at the debate were fired up about the bill, but one grad student in particular had a personal reason to oppose 512.

Julie Gavran traveled from the University of Texas to participate in the debate and share her story about being a victim of gun violence.

“I was held at gun point as an undergraduate in my own dorm and a gun would not have saved me that night… it takes away from the environment and the learning environment we have on college campuses,”.

 Debaters Richard Feldman of the Independent Firearms Association and Kathryn Grant of Gun Free Kids were firing opposing points on high capacity guns, gun auctions, and gun rights during the two hour long debate. 

“This issue is not about guns, it’s about trust… to gun owners,”

“Five minutes… to kill twenty kids and two adults and six adults… the number of rounds had to influence the volume,”.

Gavran wasn’t the only one who was affected by the event, other attendants felt it was well needed discussion for UGA and hope it and more progress on gun control will be done.

“I think it should always be a question on someone’s minds, not to the fact that there was a mass shooting four months ago so now we talk about gun control its something thats always relevant.”

 

Iris Garrett, Grady Newsource