College Democrats Host Townhall on Gun Violence

posted April 6, 2019 in CommRadio, News by Brannon DeWolf

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State College Democrats teamed up with the Centre County chapter of Moms Demand Action last night to host a town hall in the Forum Building addressing the issue of gun violence in our community. 

More than fifty students, staff and community members on both sides of the political aisle came out to discuss the effects of gun violence.

Some attendees recalled the recent shooting deaths of community members Osaze Osagie and Penn State student Nick Flacco, both gunned down just weeks apart. Other attendees recalled the times a firearm saved their life, including at a rural Pennsylvania gas station in the dead of night.

Although political disagreements were on display, most attendees seemed to want a broader conversation about gun violence in general.

“We’re not going to come back together as a society if we can’t talk about the big issues that are splitting us apart,” Jacob Klipstein, former Vice President for the Penn State College Democrats, said. “Gun violence is an issue in this country no matter how you want to look at it. Millions of Americans have died from the bullet of a gun and I want to make sure that we’re having a conversation about it – about what to do about this.”

Klipstein says these conversations can bring about real progress.

“A lot of the solutions that were proposed by the panel tonight cannot be achieved without revoking the rights of law-abiding citizens that are protected by the Constitution,” Trevor Grim, Vice President of Turning Point USA at Penn State, said.

Grim’s organization attended the town hall to discuss reducing gun violence without reducing gun rights.

Penn State’s student political organizations regularly host events and town halls like this one to discuss hot button political issues.

 

 

Brannon DeWolf is a junior majoring in political science and broadcast journalism. To contact him email bjd5502@psu.edu.