By Kassondra Granata

On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Since this event, President Barack Obama as well as other leaders around the country have taken action implementing new gun laws in hopes to prevent this from happening again.

Obama, in his initiative to decrease gun violence, has been executing legislative proposals and executive orders. These proposals range from congressional actions such as requiring criminal background checks and limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, to executive actions such as issuing a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system, to starting a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

On Feb. 21, Vice President Joe Biden spoke with others at Western Connecticut State University on gun control.

“We have to speak for those 20 beautiful children who died 69 days ago,” Biden said, according to an article in The New York Times. He also noted the six staff members who tried to save them. “There is a moral price to be paid for inaction.”

Also present at the debate, Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy proposed tougher, stricter gun laws for the state. Malloy said he plans on closing loopholes and banning the weapons that are used to cause events such as Sandy Hook.

“Two months ago, our state became the center of a national debate after a tragedy we never imagined could happen here,” Malloy said in a New York Times article. “We have changed. And I believe it is now time for our laws to do the same.”

In light of these recent laws, students at Central Connecticut University voice their views on gun laws and the Obama Administration’s efforts with gun control:

Pro-Gun:

• “The new guns laws are not aiming to fix the problem, they are aiming to make things more difficult for the average law abiding citizen. To fix the problem we need to focus on the mental aspects and enforce the laws we have and go after the criminals. I’ve been shooting since I was three years old ive been shooting since I was five. I own my own gun business and have been part of gun club for three years now and I have been club president for two years. I have worked at a gun store and have worked in the gun industry before.” -Thomas Minutelli, president of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU.

• “The new guns laws are not aiming to fix the problem, they are aiming to make things more difficult for the average law abiding citizen. To fix the problem we need to focus on the mental aspects and enforce the laws we have and go after the criminals. I’ve been shooting since I was three years old ive been shooting since I was five. I own my own gun business and have been part of gun club for three years now and I have been club president for two years. I have worked at a gun store and have worked in the gun industry before.” -Thomas Minutelli, president of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU.

• “I am very pro gun. I just started shooting this year. I joined gun club because I wanted to learn how to protect myself just in case anything does happen mainly because I am living in New Britain right now. If someone is going to attack me I’d rather have as many bullets between them and me as possible.” -Brittany Levine, member of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU.

• “There are a constitutional right as opposed to an occupation that some people have. To some people that is just a hobby but for the vast majority of Americans it should be a right and is protected by the constitution.” -Jack Kelner, co-president of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club.

• “I support stricter gun control, but I myself use guns for hunting and I have grown up with them my entire life. I support universal background checks; I do not support the assault weapons ban. I think there should be screening for mental health illness. With the assault weapon ban, I do not really support that because sometimes people do not know what an assault weapon is. People should be educated with them though, learn how to use them. I was always taught about the proper way to use guns.” -Matthew Denno, CCSU student.

Anti-Gun:

• “I think we need more gun control. We have way too many guns out on the streets and we do not need military grade weapons. The Second Amendment is not interpreted correctly anymore. That was originally for a militia which we really do not need at the moment. Leaving the public with the access of so many different weapons is harmful.” -Kory Mills, SGA senator.

• “I don’t think that people should be able to have them too much. Especially automatic weapons, large capacity magazines, even pistols to an extent. Having a shotgun or a hunting rifle isn’t too big of a deal, but other than that no one should really have them.” -Dan Mcallen, CCSU student.

• “I definitely agree with the permits and the background checks. I think more security would help. I am definitely anti-gun, but I don’t see a problem with the permits that are going on now that are able to allow families to have guns. I am kind of neutral in that aspect.” -Nicole Pourier, CCSU student.

How is Obama doing?”

•  “I am not a fan of these guns laws. I agree that there should be mental health checks; there are too many people who are mentally ill and are not capable of understanding the responsibilities of owning a gun that own one.” -Brittany Levine, member of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU.

• “The laws that have been implemented in the past have shown that there is no evidence that it has changed anything. There are not many facts and statistics that they have done anything to stop crime. If they want to help anything and improve society then mental health is what we need to be addressing.” -Jack Kelner, co-president of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club.

• I think Obama is doing a lot of talk, but I don’t think he is going to get anything concrete through.” -Matthew Denno, CCSU student.”If I was Obama I would tell the NRA to go away. I would get stricter gun control. He is definitely on the right path, but he needs to be a little bit harder on it. It is the beginning of his second term, but he will get more done as it comes to a close.” -Kory Mills, SGA senator.

• “We need to go after the people. We need to deal with their issues other than worrying about the red tape. We need to deal with the mental handicapped. We need to help the people first, go after the criminals.” -Thomas Minutelli, president of the Rifle and Marksmanship Club at CCSU.

To hear more student feedback: http://centralrecorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Gun-Control-Sound.mp3

or go under “Multimedia.”