I am an allied health professor for the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a health sciences instructor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. I do not support SB 174, which would allow the concealed carry of weapons on campus, and I have serious concerns about its potential impacts throughout the UA system and its campuses. I am in agreement with the comments of UA President Jim Johnsen and the the Board of Regents, who are committed to revising the bill so it can be implemented appropriately and in accordance with federal laws.
I have resided in both rural and urban Alaska. Prior to my work as a public health nurse in Bethel, I was an Emergency Room nurse in Baltimore, Seattle and the Bay Area. I have seen gun injuries up close. I have helped families grieve over the loss of a loved ones to gun violence. Therefore, I think it is critical you review all the scientific evidence available to inform any decision or recommendations you might be making. I have highlighted two points from the research available from the National Academies Press and the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research websites.
1. Right to carry laws do not make us safer, and likely increase aggravated assaults.
2. States, regions and countries with higher rates of household gun ownership have higher rates of gun suicide.
Although I can only guess why Rep. John Coghill and Sen. Pete Kelly are choosing this moment, under these fiscal conditions, using classic conservative language around Second Amendment rights, to promote this bill since it appears that any potential rationales such as improving public safety are not supported by research.
In other words, more guns does not make us safer and in fact might increase the number of aggravated assaults, suicides, injuries and deaths, particularly for this college-aged group. Perhaps you should ask to see the peer reviewed scientific evidence that suggests more guns make us safer. The data and research I have accessed so far clearly contradicts the language in this bill. Last time I checked, democracies formulate bills and pass laws based on thorough evaluation, investigation of the evidence and objective data — not the political rantings of those seeking re-election.
As a teacher, I need to feel safe at work. I need to know my students, colleagues and myself have all made a commitment to come together for the purpose of learning and debating in a safe space — unarmed. If SB 174 goes forward, I would expect to see more aggravated assaults and more suicides on campuses.
Please contact your representatives and the House Education Committee urging them to not support the current version of SB 174.
• Jennifer Meyer is an RN, MPH, CPH and assistant professor of allied health at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Rural and Community Development on the Kuskokwim Campus.
