UW-Madison administration’s reactionary, not proactive, attempts to make campus a safe environment do nothing to guarantee student safety
Per state law, the University of Wisconsin, Madison is required to allow concealed carry permit holders to carry on campus grounds except in areas where expressly prohibited. However, these areas include the majority of campus, like campus buildings, where “gun free zone” signs are plastered on every door. The University takes precautionary measures to limit crime, like installing cameras across campus and releasing a list of safety tips and resources, but these responses to campus crime are reactionary and do not guarantee protection to students.
As the threat of sexual assault and rape lurks on campus, young women are taking their safety into their own hands. On Friday, November 8, the Center for Conservative Women invited young women from UW to attend a self-defense class and gun safety training at a local gun range. The activity is part of the Center’s Luce Society program, an initiative to organize campus activities for conservative women to discuss current events and policy, network, and remain a resource for other conservative female students.
The Luce Society activity follows two weeks after University of Nevada, Reno students hosted Center for Conservative Women speakers Amanda Collins and Antonia Okafor. Amanda was a student at UNR when she was raped in a campus parking structure. Unable to carry her firearm on campus, Amanda was an unmatched victim to her armed attacker. The following day, ladies from UNR attended a self-defense and gun safety course. The event caught the attention of several female UW students who wanted to encourage their peers to learn how to effectively defend themselves.
Two of the attending students grew up in Panama and Malaysia where firearms are outlawed. They had never seen a firearm in person until they attended this event sponsored by the Center for Conservative Women. This event, and our other programs, have a direct impact on students nationwide, like these two young women.
