Fellow students we at Berry face a real problem when it comes to gun usage. Despite our rural setting and the privilege many of us have shared in growing up knowing how to use a gun there are many on our campus who live in ignorance and sometimes fear. The willingness of the administration to register our guns if we choose to hunt indicates an awareness that there are hunters among us. Yet the policy of no hunting still exists across campus. The fact that we have a health clinic and a nearby hospital indicates the awareness of the dangers inherent in gun usage. In fact if someone was accidentally shot I do not doubt they would receive medical care immediately. Health care is available to those who are hurt using a gun on campus. However many people are afraid to discuss their guns openly due to Berry’s no hunting policy. This attitude has created a climate of ignorance that encourages people to make irresponsible choices when it comes to guns. It has been proven that those who have been through a hunter safety course are much safer in their usage and handling of guns and are less likely to experience an accident. Why can’t we have hunter safety courses on campus? Indeed why not sell ammunition in a central campus location? Some ammunition is clearly inferior and is dangerous. Would it be hypocritical of a school where hunting is not allowed to sell ammunition? Would it be hypocritical to provide hunter safety courses? I would argue that there is nothing hypocritical in catering to our off campus students or on campus students who hunt off campus. While of course the choice is ultimately an individual one as to whether or not to hunt safely and with the proper equipment, Berry is in a position to take the supportive role in the ongoing battle. Hunter safety courses, and/or free quality ammunition, come at a much lesser cost than having guns exploding in the faces of students or the errant hunter hitting a H...
