December 14, 2025
Tell Congress: Ban Guns on College Campuses
On Saturday afternoon, a gunman opened fire at Brown University in Providence. Students were forced into lockdown as shots rang out, leaving people dead and injured and sending thousands scrambling for safety in classrooms, dorms, and libraries. What should have been an ordinary weekend on campus turned into terror in seconds.
In the aftermath, a devastating detail emerged: multiple Brown students had already survived school shootings before coming to college. They arrived hoping for safety and a fresh start. Instead, they were once again hiding from gunfire. No student should have to survive a mass shooting. No one should ever have to survive more than one.
The United States Congress has allowed guns to remain in spaces meant for learning, while hiding behind a dangerous patchwork of state laws and weak federal standards. As a result, college campuses across the country remain vulnerable, and students are paying the price. Lawmakers have the authority to set a clear national rule that puts student safety first — and they have failed to do so.
After the Brown shooting, former Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, herself a survivor of gun violence, issued a stark warning: "My heart breaks for Brown University. Students should only have to worry about studying for finals right now, not hiding from gunfire. Guns are the leading cause of death for young people in America—this is a five-alarm fire and our leaders in Washington have ignored it for too long. Americans are tired of waiting around for Congress to decide that protecting kids matters."
She’s right. This is a five-alarm fire, and delay is a choice.
College campuses are dense, high-stress environments filled with young people and crowded spaces. The presence of guns increases the risk of deadly escalation, accidental shootings, and mass casualties. Allowing firearms on campus does not create safety. It guarantees fear, trauma, and more lives lost.
Congress must act now. A nationwide ban on guns on all public and private college campuses would create a clear, enforceable standard that protects students everywhere, regardless of state lines or political pressure.
Thanks for everything you do.
Josh
