College Republicans held an NRA-U event hosted by the National Rifle Association at the Student Union April 18.
The interactive presentation teaches students about the history of the Second Amendment, the NRA and, according to the association’s website, the current gun debate on college campuses across the country.
About 19 students attended the presentation by NRA Grassroots Field Coordinator David Conte, who touched on the values of the NRA and the group’s views on multiple gun-related issues.
In terms of the NRA’s stance on universal background, “We are strongly against them. They have no impact on criminal authority,” Conte said.
After the presentation, students asked questions about how to introduce guns into schools, the NRA’s views on bump stocks and how criminals obtain guns.
Responding to how criminals obtain guns Conte said, “Extremely low numbers of firearms are purchased from private dealers at gun shows and spot checks are regularly done on shows.”
Data suggests otherwise.
According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, “Gun offenders overwhelmingly obtain their guns through private sales. About 80 percent of all firearms acquired for criminal purposes are obtained through private-party transfers.”
In terms of the spot checks, according to the center, “Federal law fails to require background checks by every person who sells or transfers a gun…’individuals prohibited by law from possessing guns can easily obtain them from private sellers and do so without any federal records of the transactions.’”
Conte finished his presentation by discussing NRA’s gun safety program, “Eddie Eagle,” along with touching on “NRA School Shield,” a program in which NRA personnel come into a school and look for any safety issues that can be resolved.
“I’ve tried to do this event once each semester and I think it’s been a good tradition to do going forward helping educate people on the Second Amendment and the NRA group and what they do,” UT College Republicans Chair Shane Long said.
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