Submitted by reader J Mason
*Note, the end of this article title is obvious sarcasm, obviously. If you were looking to turn it into something it’s not, we just saved you the trouble.*
I thought I had seen some trash journalism in my day, but the Daily has just hit a new low for me.
Below is the article that J Mason is referencing, in it’s entirety. Give it a read, and then continue with his commentary located below:
Letter: Guns on campus is not the answer (link)
Like most universities, Iowa State has a problem with sexual assaults. A majority of these assaults, if not all, have a white male assailant(s), with a female victim.
The NRA-funded debate of allowing guns on campus has somehow reared its ugly head once again. With trigger happy Faux News watching conservatives exclaiming at the top of their lungs, “guns will save lives and end assaults.” They quickly discount the lives of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and countless other non-white males. These lives were not saved by guns, rather ended by them.
The answer to lowering the number of sexual assaults isn’t bringing guns on campus, it’s education. We are at a university after all, not a war zone. A Colorado school has suggested that vomiting, yelling for help or telling the attacker you are menstruating will prevent an attack. These are very effective, proven non-violent techniques that Iowa State should adopt. Even if these non-violent techniques somehow still do not deter the assailant(s), why should shooting them with a gun be the next logical step? If someone commits a sexual assault, they go to jail, not the electric chair or firing squad. Most assaults do not last very long anyway. Sexual assault is not a death sentence, and we are not vigilantes.
Their entire argument against lawful campus carry centers around rape, but not for reasons a logical person would make. This article is essentially saying that we shouldn’t arm people because they might shoot their rapists, and the author things that this wouldn’t be right because “if someone commits a sexual assault, they go to jail, not the electric chair or firing squad.” Furthermore, in a disgusting disregard for people who have been affected by sexual assault, the author goes on to say that “most assaults do not last very long anyway,” as if to offer justification for protecting a rapist’s life while the act is being committed. You would think that a female gender studies student (Michelle Stevenson) would have more sympathy toward a problem that is vastly suffered by women.
While this is only a letter to the editor and not written by Iowa State Daily staff (to my knowledge), the fact that it was published and endorsed by this already highly-biased editorial body shows me how much better off Iowa State would be by abolishing it or ensuring a fresh start with truly unbiased journalists. I may have to throw a few copies in the trash if I see any around, where they belong…”
Lastly, we’ll share some comments left on this opinion article:
