A feminist activist who was scheduled to speak at the Utah State University canceled her appearance after the university informed her they could not prohibit concealed weapons at the event. Anita Sarkeesian has focused her work on the way women are portrayed in video games, and the university received numerous threats against her after her speech was announced. One email said “This will be the deadliest school shooting in American history and I’m giving you a chance to stop it” and was signed by someone using the name Marc Lepine, who perpetrated a mass shooting in Montreal in 1989.
Tim Vitale, spokesman for Utah State University, said the university cannot legally prohibit concealed weapons at an event. Utah is the only state in the country with a law prohibiting colleges from taking concealed weapons from permit holders.
Sarkeesian tweeted Wednesday that she canceled her talk not because of the threats, but because of inadequate security measures. Her situation demonstrates how a lack of gun restrictions can threaten the free expression of ideas.
Universities have a responsibility to protect not only their students but also the speakers they invite. Outside speakers contribute to a university’s mission of expanding knowledge and encompassing different perspectives on social and political issues. If a university is to serve as a platform for the dissemination of ideas, it must assure people do not feel unsafe expressing them. Utah State University’s situation with Anita Sarkeesian highlights how inadequate safety measures can stifle discussion.
Because of multiple school shootings on college campuses, there has been a wave of advocacy for more school safety measures, but there has also been a simultaneous push-back from gun rights activists who feel Second Amendment rights are being threatened. Advocates for unrestrictive gun laws may argue law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited from carrying, because perpetrators who carry out shootings will not abide by gun control laws. Certain venues, however, must be free from firearms that could fall into the wrong hands in order to protect public safety. According to the Utah Department of Public Safety’s website, firearms are prohibited in courthouses, mental health facilities and correctional facilities. There is also the possibility that a person could legally obtain and carry a firearm and use it for wrongdoing.
Utah State University officials said attendees of Sarkeesian’s talk would have been prohibited from bringing backpacks, and there would have been additional police forces stationed at the event. But such measures are not sufficient, especially when a threat specifically involves a weapon which cannot legally be prohibited. Not only did the speaker feel her safety was at risk, but students may have been discouraged from attending the event because of fears for their own safety, had the event not been canceled.
Universities should have autonomy over all safety protocols on their campuses, and that includes the prohibition of firearms. Even if no violent incidents actually occur, the presence of dangerous weapons on campuses has the potential to discourage the free expression which academia depends on. Utah’s gun laws are threatening its university’s role as a platform for free expression. For the good of the students, such a law must be repealed.
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