by Kari Barnick

barnickka@mnstate.edu

Texas just passed Senate Bill 11, commonly referred to as “campus carry.” This bill allows Texas public colleges to carry concealed weapons on campus and in campus buildings with the proper permit and met age requirement of 21.

State Representative Alan Fletcher has stated that he filed the bill so students could protect themselves in the situation of a mass shooting. However, some students are outraged with the passing of the bill and have started a campaign called Cocks Not Glocks to show their distain for the new law.

Starting August 2016, when the law goes into effect, some students will be sporting a different accessory than guns — dildos. The students plan to carry large, brightly colored dildos around campus, which can incur a $500 fine and a class C misdemeanor for violating Texas’ penal code for obscenity, according to CNN. Jessica Jin, the event’s organizer, said this as the event’s description: “Dildos are just about as effective as [guns in] protecting us from sociopathic shooters, but much safer for recreational play.”

She wants people to recognize how carrying dildos around campus looks just as ridiculous as carrying concealed weapons.

I’m glad to see students protesting the new law, because it’s outrageous to allow concealed weapons on a campus. If I was to see a gun at MSUM, I would freak out and call public safety to remove the individual from campus.

Carrying guns on campus will increase the number of school shootings, which defeats the bill’s purpose. I realize many people would argue guns don’t kill people, people kill people. However, those people wouldn’t be able to kill others if they weren’t given easy access to concealed weapons. I would not, in any way, feel safer knowing I could carry a gun.

It’s disturbing to see Texas putting gun rights as a priority above education. Using protection as the reason for concealed weapons is just an excuse for Texans to satiate their uncontrollable need for weapons. 

As a reaction to the law, the Cocks Not Glocks campaign is genius. Carrying dildos around shows just how much human sexuality is frowned upon in society, while the sexualization of guns is totally normal and encouraged. The fact that seeing sex toys publicly on campuses is obscene while guns aren’t says volumes about our society and what we value.  Who knows, what if we openly encourage healthy and consenting sex versus gaining power and control from guns? Maybe everyone would be less stressed and less likely to start shooting everyone. It makes sense to me that having more orgasms would benefit society more than increased gun freedom. In all seriousness, our society has a fascination with violence, control, power and guns.

You can look at almost all action movies and video games and see this phenomenon happening right before your own eyes. The fact that society encourages violence makes it unsurprising that we have states now allowing concealed weapons on campus. I sincerely hope other states continue to leave their guns at home and don’t follow Texas’ example.