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Letter to the Editor | Gun control is important to protect our campus

Jonathan Masters stated, "The debate over gun control in the United States has waxed and waned over the years, stirred by a series of incidents involving mass killings by gunmen in civilian settings." I am sure this has been on the minds of our parents and maybe a majority of the student body here at Miami University. Unfortunately, this is a real threat; the university is filled with people at all times of the day, and as we have seen on the news mass killings by a person using a gun at a college campus is a very real threat.

This is why we must do something to prevent this from happening at our beloved campus. I am not suggesting a total ban on guns, but merely a few baby steps in the right order of gun regulation. We already know that guns are not permitted on the majority of college campuses, which is good, because let us be honest, alcohol and guns do not make a safe combination. Unfortunately, this doesn't prevent guns from making it on campus. Just recently we lost two students here at Miami University due to a murder-suicide. This is a very sad incident that could have been avoided if steps in the right direction were taken.

I propose that Miami take action and protect their students and staff by limiting the amount of entrances into all buildings, and have metal detectors at these doors with a security officer at the doors to protect the premises. Or, since Miami University of Oxford has its own police force, why not have them post security. This seems more important than being a university that is more worried about giving parking citations at every instance possible. Our safety is more important than citing a person for being over on a parking meter.

Matthew Niles

nilesmr@miamioh.edu