Iowa State students emailed about 3D printed guns day after Boulder shooting

Second Amendment

[ad_1]

play

A campus-wide email promoting an event about 3D-printed guns has upset some Iowa State University students in the wake of mass shootings in Boulder, Colorado, and Atlanta.

banner

The email sent Tuesday by Students for 2A — a day after a gunman killed 10 people at a Boulder grocery store — featured a GIF of a pistol being printed.

Members of the student organization had arranged the mass email request before they were aware of the Boulder shooting, Students for 2A president Daniel Eisenstein told the Ames Tribune. He said the student group was “incensed by the disgusting violence” in Boulder and Atlanta.

The presentation on home gunsmithing scheduled for next week will go on as planned, he said.

“If we consider delaying or canceling our presentations, we would fail to meet the goals of our organization, including our ability to have open and honest discussions with those who vehemently disagree with us,” Eisenstein said via email.

Related: Boulder, Atlanta mass killings were among 7 so far this year. Here are the others you might have missed.

Iowa State spokesperson Angie Hunt said Students for 2A had followed university policy in planning and promoting the event, adding that the presentation is “not a demonstration of 3D printing or weapons.”

“While not everyone may support the topic, all students have the right to gather and discuss issues that others may feel are controversial or do not align with their values,” Hunt said in a statement. “We understand our students’ concerns, and as a campus community we mourn with those who have lost loved ones in the recent violent mass shooting tragedies in Boulder and Atlanta.”

Mass emails should be “relevant to the University’s core missions,” according to a university webpage on the topic.

An open letter to administrators criticizing the email’s timing has more than 100 signatures, the Iowa State Daily reported. 

The letter said those involved in sending the email “did not understand the emotional intensity the events of the past week have taken on students,” particularly Asian American and Pacific Islander students. Six of the eight people killed in Georgia were Asian women.

“The University should release a statement condemning the timeliness, insensitivity, and potentially harmful and triggering nature of the email,” the letter said. “The student organization, Students for 2A, should also release a statement acknowledging the harm caused.”

PhD student Loulou Dickey said regardless of the email’s timing, she believes the event is inappropriate for a college campus.

“It’s not like it’s a far-fetched idea that we could have a shooting on campus … we have to take these (active shooter) trainings in order to protect ourselves,” Dickey said. “And here we are on campus, allowing this event (about making your own weapons).”

When Dickey emailed the dean of students about her concerns, she was provided links to counseling services. She called this response “gaslighting.”

“I have nothing against therapy. I think it’s great,” Dickey said. “But that’s just not the response that I think should have been sent. I don’t need counseling because I’m concerned about guns.”

Students for 2A has 45 student members and is affiliated with the National Rifle Association, according to its Iowa State website. 

The group’s description says due to “a culture war against the second amendment,” Students for 2A’s efforts include “training members to offer a pro-gun perspective in relevant debates, lobbying for pro-gun legislation, and education on the safe handling and practical applications of firearms in our era.”

The organization’s university page links to CTRL+Pew, which covers law and technology developments in 3D-printed firearms. 

That site’s Twitter account has posted multiple tweets with the hashtag “boogaloo.” 

Boogaloo is an anti-government extremist movement that began in 2019, according to the Anti-Defamation LeagueThe loosely connected group has some ties to the white power movement, Vox reported, although not all members are white nationalists or white supremacists. Some support a civil war with the government. Gun confiscation is a major concern of the movement.

Anti-government “boogaloo” rhetoric has been linked to at least 15 arrests and five deaths, according to The Guardian.

Eisenstein said Students for 2A is not associated with CTRL+Pew and that the Twitter account does not necessarily reflect the students’ views.

“We linked ctrlpew.com on our organization’s website as it is a good source of news covering developments regarding 3D-printed firearms as well as a comprehensive guide to getting started with 3D printer operations,” Eisenstein said. “It is merely a coincidence that they are incorporated in Iowa.”

Isabella Rosario is a public safety reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached by email at irosario@gannett.com or on Twitter at @irosarioc.



[ad_2]

Source link

Articles You May Like

No Open Carry in Winn-Dixie Despite Florida Law
Lower gun buying age sought
Yes, we can prevent school shootings – The Battalion
Publix Super Markets Confirms It Will Allow Open Carry in Florida Stores
Florida lawmaker moves to lower gun purchase age as Supreme Court weighs case

43 Comments

  1. whoah this blog is wonderful i really like reading your articles. Keep up the great paintings! You realize, a lot of people are hunting round for this info, you could help them greatly.

  2. 594996 28897Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far more added agreeable from you! Nonetheless, how could we communicate? 185999

  3. 448859 64110Hi this is somewhat of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or in case you have to manually code with HTML. Im starting a weblog soon but have no coding understanding so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any support would be greatly appreciated! 466658

  4. 754428 527419If you are still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Greatest Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which 1 sounds much better to you, and which interface makes you smile much more. Then youll know which is correct for you. 346000

  5. whoah this blog is wonderful i really like reading your articles. Keep up the great paintings! You realize, a lot of people are hunting round for this info, you could help them greatly.

  6. 261525 350747Great day! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers? Im kinda paranoid about losing everything Ive worked hard on. Any tips? 753926

  7. 495708 911471Hello! I just would wish to offer a huge thumbs up for that great info youve here during this post. I is going to be returning to your web site to get a lot more soon. 552273

  8. whoah this blog is wonderful i really like reading your articles. Keep up the great paintings! You realize, a lot of people are hunting round for this info, you could help them greatly.

  9. I have read your excellent post. This is a great job. I have enjoyed reading your post first time. I want to say thanks for this post. Thank you…

  10. I have read your article; it is very informative and helpful for me. I admire the valuable information you offer in your articles. Thanks for posting it.

  11. It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you some interesting things or suggestions. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I want to read more things about it!

  12. This is very educational content and written well for a change. It’s nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post!

  13. This is a great inspiring article.I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information…

  14. Thanks for your post. I’ve been thinking about writing a very comparable post over the last couple of weeks, I’ll probably keep it short and sweet and link to this instead if thats cool. Thanks.

  15. I have read your excellent post. This is a great job. I have enjoyed reading your post first time. I want to say thanks for this post. Thank you…

  16. I just got to this amazing site not long ago. I was actually captured with the piece of resources you have got here. Big thumbs up for making such wonderful blog page!

  17. A good blog always comes-up with new and exciting information and while reading I have feel that this blog is really have all those quality that qualify a blog to be a one

  18. I am overwhelmed by your post with such a nice topic. Usually I visit your blogs and get updated through the information you include but today’s blog would be the most appreciable. Well done!

  19. It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I want to read more things about it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *