The International Student Association (ISA) held the last lecture of their seventh annual “Breaking the Barriers” discussion series Thursday, as they discussed gun rights among the students at KSU.
The discussions held throughout the week were set up by the ISA in an attempt to get students to discuss societal issues that are normally considered too controversial, such as the topic of gun rights.
The lecture consisted of two parts: the informative portion and the discussion portion. The two moderators, Precious Igboneme, the treasurer of ISA, and Lisian Arjon, the leadership and engagement coordinator of ISA, presented the facts concerning both sides of the gun debate and then displayed a set of questions in hopes of sparking discussion.
The questions, however, were not needed, as it seemed as though the participants had plenty to say and were not afraid to state their stance.
“Because of America’s history and because so many citizens already have guns and because our police is so militarized at this point, I feel like citizens should have the right to bear arms,” one participant said.
Some of the two dozen audience members belonged to the ISA and were able to offer a comparison of the gun rights in their countries, including Russia, England, the Dominican Republic and Nigeria. The rest were American KSU students who either felt passionate about a certain stance or came to learn more about the issue facing America.
The room was fairly split, as there were five main participants who were for gun rights and five main participants who were against guns. The rest of the participants closely observed as the debate became interesting and even intense at times.
One of the topics discussed was if it is the widespread availability of guns that are killing or injuring people or if it is the will of the people themselves.
“It is a result of the availability of guns,” Rogelio Castillo, a junior majoring in computer science, said. “If you have the means to kill someone and you want to kill someone, then you’re going to do it. If you want to kill someone and you can’t, then you’re not going to do it, and if you do eventually find a way, then you’re not going to kill as many people.”
However, some participants challenged that when there is a will, there is a way. They also pointed out that some of the mass shootings were methodically planned out over the course of months, if not years.
One thing that people could agree upon is the need for education about guns. Audrey Faulkner, the international festival coordinator of ISA, brought up that with the amount of guns that we have in America (more than any other country in the world), individuals should be taught not only how to use a gun, but taught when a gun is needed, their purpose and the dangers and responsibilities that come with owning a gun.
This is just one of the many breakthroughs that have occurred because of discussions such as these. The ISA put together four debates that held throughout the week of Nov. 5 to Nov. 12. The executive members were able to choose the topics they felt affected our society. There was a discussion on if technology is advancing us or harming our society, abortion, the morality question that comes with assisted suicide and of course, gun rights.
“It’s a good thing to have those kind of conversations,” Castillo said. “That’s how you change people’s minds. If you inform them, that’s how they form an opinion.“
As for the International Student Association itself, Faulkner encourages students to join and participate in events like this one. She describes the club as one full of diversity, but stresses that is still open to everyone.
