Atlantic Documentary: The Armed Campus

BY MARTIN KICH

In 1966, the University of Texas at Austin was the site of America’s first mass shooting on a college campus. Now, 50 years later, students can carry guns on campus. It has created a tense environment, where students and professors alike are not sure who might have a weapon. “Universities are meant to be somewhere where you can feel free to express your opinion and argue with someone,” says Ana Lopez, a student. “I feel like I can’t speak my mind as much in the presence of guns.” Other students have embraced the new policy: “I don’t feel like something is going to happen all the time, it’s just kind of a back-up in a potentially bad situation,” says Nick Roland, who carries a Glock 23 to his graduate classes. In this documentary, the Atlantic travels to UT Austin to understand how the presence of guns on campus has affected the school’s student body and faculty. Authors: Jeremy Raff, Alex Wagner.

The documentary is available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/504794/the-armed-campus/#.

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