Texas Students Protest Gun Law with Sex Toys

(25 Aug 2016) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus061914

THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR IS UNDERWAY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN, THE FIRST SINCE A NEW LAW WENT INTO EFFECT PERMITTING CONCEALED CARRY OF FIREARMS ON CAMPUS. AND THE NEW GUN LAW HAS PROVOKED A RESPONSE UNLIKE ANY OTHER—
UPSOUND (English) Chanting: "Gun free! U-T!"
AS AN ACT OF PROTEST, HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS DONNED.. SEX TOYS….
CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMIT HOLDERS OVER 21 CAN CARRY ON CAMPUS AND IN UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS… THOUGH OPPONENTS SAY UNDER TEXAS LAW YOU'LL BE CITED FOR OBSCENITY WHEN OPENLY CARRYING A SEX TOY—
SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Jin, Protest Organizer:
"The gun lobby wants to put guns in our learning spaces and every where and act likes it's normal."
JESSICA JIN, A RECENT GRADUATE, ORGANIZED THE PROTEST AS A CRUDE JOKE LAST YEAR ON TWITTER, BUT IT BECAME SOMETHING OF A MOVEMENT.. OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS SHE AND LIKE MINDED STUDENTS HANDED OUT PHALLIC SYMBOLS TO HELP MAKE THE POINT—
SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Jin, Protest Organizer:
"So they say as long as you have a gun you can live with it. we don't want to live with it. we think it's a horrible solution, we're gonna normalize sex culture the same way they're normalizing gun culture and see how they feel about it."
HER SUPPORTERS INCLUDE COLLEGE PROFESSORS—
SOUNDBITE (English) Julie Maslowsky, University of Texas Professor:
"I'm not worried about my safety i'm worried about the atmosphere in our classrooms."
AUSTIN GUN SHOP OWNER MICHAEL CARGILL SAYS MANY OF HIS CUSTOMERS ARE U-T STUDENTS—
SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Cargill, Central Texas Gunworks
"Campus carry is something very near and dear to me"
HE SAYS A FAMILY MEMBER WAS A VICTIM OF A CRIME, SO HE'S ADVOCATED FOR FEWER GUN RESTRICTIONS EVER SINCE—
SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Cargill, Central Texas Gunworks:
"If you had a handgun license you would have been able to carry your handgun concealed on the streetside, walk ways, parking lots, garages of a college campus."
JUNIOR BRIAN BENSIMON, ALSO A CAMPUS CARRY ADVOCATE, EXPECTS VERY FEW PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY BRING GUNS—
SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Bensimon, Concealed Campus:
"Actual demographics of people who carry as far as living on campus, we only expect between 5 and 15 for the whole population."
OPPONENTS FEEL EVEN ONE GUN ON CAMPUS IS ONE TOO MANY—
UPSOUND (English) Chanting: "Gun free! U-T!"
JOHN MONE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN, TEXAS.



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