No gun is a ‘toy’
The recent incident involving a student in possession of a handgun (albeit “only a BB gun”) did not leave me unsettled as much as it convinced me of the serious need for weapon education for the young people in our society (“BB gun may trigger judicial hearing,” ODE, 02/28).
What did disturb me was Sung-Min Kim’s reference to the BB gun as a toy. No gun, regardless of whether it is made of plastic, wood or metal should ever be considered a “toy,” if it is capable of firing a projectile. No matter how small that projectile is, the threat of damage to its intended target still exists.
Kim readily admits his mistake, and I don’t believe he should suffer extreme disciplinary action as a result of his poor judgment. It is obvious that he has an interest in firearms. College is not the place to pursue this interest, but as a gun enthusiast I would like to suggest that a class in handgun safety would be an appropriate way for Kim to pursue this interest and most importantly, learn about safety measures and the huge responsibility that each person who handles weapons must accept.

Carolyn Baker

junior

anthropology

Elections disrespect nature
Our University has become a desert. Storms have knocked down a number of trees; we cut and remove their trunks. We cut more trees in order to protect University Street (or to benefit the season’s growth). No respect is given to the nature found about our campus.
Our University is finding itself in a barren desert and the elections reflect it. We lack desire for abundance of nature and replace it with non-satisfactory exercises of “democratic” technology. But it is not! This is a cry that replacing nature with technology is not a move in the direction we need. Recall the election! DuckWeb and the system are faulty! Place the power in the people.

Chuck Holding

senior

political science