Ever wondered what would happen if you wanted to stage an empty-holster protest on campus? What about handing out pro-self-defense pamphlets to your fellow students? Some people would be repulsed by such an act. Those individuals would fall in line with the growing trend among US universities that have increasingly sought to silence free speech among students on this issue, along with many others. Many college administrators consider the idea of lawfully owned guns on campus a “dangerous” idea and seek to censor protest of college policies. This censorship results in an environment where serious discussions about an individual’s rights are too-often ignored.
Today, the Foundation For Individual Rights in Education has released a new short film, “Empty Holsters: Gun Speech on America’s Campuses” which chronicles attempts by campus administrators to censor student speech about guns. Wherever you stand on this issue, it is crucial not to let students’ freedom of speech slide into a one-sided debate.
“Sadly,” reports FIRE’s Adam Kissel, “We do run into this a lot – The idea that people need to be protected from the speech of other people by the university rather than letting social consequences take their course.”
Take a few moments to watch and share these students’ stories. You also can help us spread the word by retweeting the video on Twitter, posting the link on your Facebook page, or e-mailing your friends.
