Campus Republicans pack heat

Kayla Webley
2004-05-04
The Daily

Members of the UW College Republicans gathered last night at the Bellevue Indoor Range to participate in the club's annual Second Amendment Shootout.

Besides blasting off a few rounds, the event gave the 32 participating members the opportunity to celebrate their Second Amendment rights.

"[The Second Amendment] was specifically put in the Constitution by the founders of the country that everyone should have the right to bear arms and own guns," said Anitra Beruti, vice president of the group. "We go out and shoot to prove that we celebrate our Second Amendment."

In addition to reaffirming the right to bear arms, the night emphasized safety and responsibility.

"The goal is to educate about gun safety," said Beruti. "It's a learning experience ... we teach people how to be responsible gun owners and shooters."

To aid the learning experience, before entering the shooting range, the group participated in a gun-safety lesson.

The course, taught by Joe Waldron of the Citizens for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, taught the basic rules of gun safety and the proper way to handle and shoot a gun.

Waldron, who has taught gun safety for 30 years, enforced what he called the most important lesson.

"Never point a gun, loaded or unloaded, at something you are not willing to kill," he said.

According to Kelsey Brown, event chair for the College Republicans, the shootout taught participants how to use, discharge, properly store and respect a gun's power.

Clark Kunitsugu, UW junior and member of the group, has been shooting competitively for two years. He came out to help support Second Amendment rights.

"[The amendment] is there for us to feel more secure," he said. "I would definitely feel that if, for some reason, they did get rid of the Second Amendment and we all had to return our guns, I would not feel as safe."

Brown said she wanted people to come away from the event knowing the importance of handling a gun responsibly.

"People may have the misconception that we are going out and randomly shooting guns for fun," she said. "That's not the case. The important thing is that we believe in the right to bear arms, but we also believe in personal responsibility."

The event, sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation, gave College Republicans members who had never handled a gun the chance to shoot.

"People really enjoy [the event] because not a lot of people grow up with guns," said Brown. "There are a lot of people in this room that have never touched a gun in their life. ... [Here] they get the instruction behind it to be able to go out and shoot a gun, enjoy it, and be safe about it."

One first-time shooter was Tiffany Leasburg, public relations officer for the College Republicans.

"I've never shot a gun before ... I just want to learn how to shoot, just in case. You never know what is going to happen," she said. "We are given the right to bear arms so we should be able to exercise it freely."