Despite the struggles to find an adviser to support Students for Concealed Carry, the pro-concealed carry club has not yet given up in pursuing recognition.
The club has been trying to find an adviser since last spring in order to gain recognition from the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. In the past three weeks, more than 700 emails were sent out to faculty and staff, requesting an adviser.
Greg Collins, a public management and policy senior and organizer of the unrecognized club, said he plans to continue emailing faculty and staff despite missing the deadline for club recognition for the fall semester.
Several people have replied that they are not interested in supporting the club nor do they agree with the issue. While some have shown interest in the club’s message, they refused to become advisers for fear of losing their job by supporting an issue that most of the majority does not support, Collins added.
“The goal is to allow people to understand, educate and have intellectual discussions on the law,” Collins said.
John Ulreich, an English professor, initially contacted Collins with an interest in advising the club, but later declined after considering the issue he would be advocating.
“It’s politically problematic,” Ulreich said. “I don’t like guns and I don’t want them on campus, but as a matter of principle you should be able to form a club. But I couldn’t support him in that.”
Ulreich added that he no longer wanted to be involved with the club’s recognition process.
Last semester, ASUA’s former Executive Vice President Bryan Ponton told the Arizona Daily Wildcat that students could start a club without an adviser for a certain amount of time before becoming officially recognized by ASUA. Conversely, the association’s current Executive Vice President, Krystina Nguyen, said Ponton’s information was incorrect.
While the club is not officially recognized by ASUA, Nguyen added, they can still function normally without the organization’s resources.
“In the time the club is searching for an adviser, they are not recognized,” she said. “That does not mean the club can’t assemble and hold meetings, but to be recognized through ASUA to be an official club and use our resources, the club has to have an adviser.”
Traci Sepp, a theatre arts senior, said she supports the club and is willing to join provided it becomes recognized.
“I feel the Second Amendment is something that should be honored regardless of where you are,” Sepp said. “One thing I would like to point out is that if this club was about the First Amendment rights, we would have faculty stepping over each other to try to mentor this club.”
While some students do support the club and hope it finds an adviser, others showed concern with allowing guns on campus.
“This is a place where you are supposed to come learn, not worry about some idiot walking with a gun,” said Corey Steinbrecher, a general studies senior. “We already have enough idiots on campus, we don’t need more idiots with guns.”
