Western Sydney University student offers guns on campus
The president of a university representative body has called for students to be encouraged to carry guns on campus in response to shootings in the United States.
Western Sydney University Students’ Representative Council president Daniel Bonatti recently introduced a motion to support students’ right to “bear arms”.
“Mass shootings at educational institutions and universities in the United States are a daily occurrence,” Bonatti reported in the student newspaper W’SUP.
“As the SRC has collectives and equity groups, the rooms provided for women, the chaplain, Christian and Muslim prayer rooms, queers and indigenous people are the first targets.
“Students shall have the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense…I, (Daniel Bonatti), propose that: The Student Representative Council of Western Sydney University supports in principle the right to keep and bear arms weapons.”
Western Sydney University Students’ Representative Council vice-president Bayan Sohailee opposed the motion to allow students to carry weapons.
Students and staff at the University of North Carolina in the southeastern United States were terrorized by a gunman in August who shot and killed a faculty member on the first day of a new term.
In February, three students were killed and five others injured in a mass shooting at Michigan State University in the northeastern United States.
There have also been numerous shootings in American high schools this year.
Sydney has seen a series of fatal shootings on its streets, including in July, but police have linked them to a gang war and none took place on a university campus.
Western Sydney University’s representative council voted unanimously to reject the proposal, including Romonda Eid, who seconded the motion.
She said her support was a mistake because she misread the content of the motion.
Opposing the motion, Vice President Bayan Sohailee said campuses should remain “gun-free.”
Another student representative, Laine Fox, said it was a “disgusting motion”.
“I didn’t say anything disgusting,” Mr. Bonatti replied.
“I clearly expressed a point of view that exists in a country of 330 million people, and that is the right to bear arms.”
Mr Bonatti continued to assert that there were serious security risks at the Bankstown campus, which has easy access to safe spaces such as queer rooms and prayer rooms.
Western Sydney University’s Bankstown campus has been designated as being particularly at risk.
A student hugs a family member at Shoultes Christian Assembly after being evacuated from Marysville-Pilchuck High School following a shooting on the high school campus in Marysville, Washington
However, other students called the idea “crazy.”
A university spokesperson told news.com.au they “take the safety of our students and staff seriously”.
“All our campuses are monitored 24 hours a day by security officers, including our Bankstown City campus,” the spokesperson said.
“The Students’ Representative Council has not raised any security concerns with the university regarding the safety of students at the Bankstown City campus. The University welcomes the opportunity to engage and address any concerns they may have.
“Prayer rooms, LGBTIQ+ spaces and other facilities ensure that students from diverse backgrounds feel belonging and safe here at the university. »
