By Amber Meyer, Asta Hemenway, Vanessa Pedroso, Keyton Bielecky, and Jarrett Smith, Talon Staff
The Talon staff walked around Tallahassee Community College campus on Monday, November 5 and they questioned several students on their opinions regarding handguns on campus.
Amber interviewed TCC student Trajan Forbes.
Forbes said he was unaware politicians wanted to allow handguns on campus.
“That seems like a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation,” Forbes said.
Forbes said that if handguns were allowed on campus, campus would feel a lot more unsafe.
“There are just a lot of problems, like mental illness,” said Forbes. “If they are individuals with a gun on campus, something could happen at any moment and it just doesn’t seem safe.”
Amber also interviewed another TCC student, Garrett St. John, was aware that some politicians were rallying to allow guns on campus.
“I think that maybe security guards and police should be able to carry,” said St. John.
“When it comes to teachers or students, I think it’s not a good idea.”
St. John said he was for gun rights, but against allowing guns on a school campus.
“With today’s society and mental illness, people tend to hold things back and then all of the sudden go to school and take out all their anger,” St. John said.
Asta interviewed TCC student Khahlil Williams, a Tallahassee native.
Williams said that students, faculty and staff, should not be allowed to bring handguns on campus.
“Any regular guy is just one bad day away from something really bad happening,” Williams said.
Williams said allowing handguns on campus would not make it a safer place.
“Unless (the handgun) is for a security detail that has the handgun to say, stop someone who comes in here who’s a little deranged themselves,” said Williams, who owns a hunting rifle.
Williams said that he is for gun rights with limitations.
“I feel like everything needs moderation,” Williams said.
Asta also interviewed first-year TCC student Ashli Jackson, a Tallahassee native.
Jackson said that guns on campus should only be allowed for campus police and not students, faculty or staff.
“You don’t know how people are in the head sometimes,” Jackson said.
“It’s a little crazy for people to have that.”
Jackson said having handguns on campus would not make campus safer unless they were in the right hands.
“Gun rights has its limitations,” said the pre-med student.
Vanessa interviewed TCC Student Raquan Booker.
Booker said there has been several school shootings across the country, guns can only be used for protection.
“In my opinion for some people, it’s a way of self-defense,” Booker said.
Booker said a lot of students are present on campus.
He said students would not be able to identify everyone and should have the right to defend themselves and others in a dangerous position.
“If anything was to happen during school it is in your best interest to protect yourself and the students around you,” Booker said.
Vanessa then interviewed Meimoana Elmoustapha, a student at TCC.
Elmoustapha said individuals over 30 who take the required classes should only be allowed to carry handguns because they are more responsible compared to those under 30.
“Students should not carry guns,” Elmoustapha said.
“I have witnessed a lot of fights and they were brutal.”
Elmoustapha said violence should not be allowed on campus.
School is for learning and only learning.
“This is a place for gathering. God forbid if someone wakes up one day not in a great mood and has a gun, this will cause a great damage,” Elmoustapha said.
Keyton interviewed Madyson Stewart, a student of retail entrepreneurship at TCC.
Stewart said that guns should not be allowed on campus.
As for gun rights in general, Stewart said that she is against them regardless of the situation.
“With the amount of shootings that have been going on it’s not OK,” Stewart said in response to being asked about guns on campus.
Keyton also interviewed Tallahassee native Sofia Floress.
Floress said that there really isn’t a reason for handguns to be on campus.
Floress said that she does not personally own a handgun, however she believes one should possess the right to own a firearm.
Floress said, “This is a campus with a lot of people. You should be allowed to have a firearm but why would you need one on campus?”
Jarrett interviewed TCC student Kipchirchir Woodin.
Woodin said cops should be the only ones allowed to carry handguns on campus.
“Those are the people licensed to carry,” he said.
Woodin doesn’t want to risk a gun getting in the wrong person’s hand.
“People sell drugs on campus all the time, they don’t need guns too,” he said.
As far as gun rights are concerned, Woodin said he isn’t completely against guns, but believes “Guns need to be monitored more carefully.”
Jarrett then interviewed Brieanna Mackey (left)
, who is a TCC student majoring in Nursing.
Mackey said she would be against allowing handguns onto our campus.
“Little altercations could become deadly which could make the campus more dangerous,” she said.
Not being a handgun owner herself, she still said she’s not against gun rights entirely.
“There should be limits to them though,” she said.
