The Union newspaper went onto the El Camino College campus and asked students to voice their opinions on the massacre that occurred on Sunday, Oct. 1 in Las Vegas and how they believe similar incidents can be avoided.
Chris Cruz, 25, nursing major: “Not necessarily, it has hit close to home in regards to the Las Vegas shooting (because) I used to live in Orlando, so the Pulse shooting was very personal to me because I’ve been to that club before and I used to live there. It doesn’t make me feel threatened, but it does hit close to home because I do know people that know people that died in Orlando.”
Alex Furmansky, 23, journalism major: “I haven’t really thought about how I feel about my safety on campus, but I go to concerts a lot so I’ve been thinking about how concerts have been the target for these terrorists attacks, like the one in England. It’s scary because I internalized it, so I feel like I’ve thought more about my safety for the next concert I go to.”
Kody Kaneshiro, 21, psychology/biology major: “I feel like there should be more enforcement implemented, but with the way the government is at the moment, I don’t think things will really change in the foreseeable future.”
Maria Arias, 19, mechanical engineering major: “There should be a more in-depth psychoanalysis before people are able to buy a gun. There should also be a limitation on what gun an average citizen can buy.”
Jesus Vazquez, 18, civil engineering major: “Certain weapons shouldn’t be available to the average person and based on what happened recently in Las Vegas, there should more testing before someone is able to own a firearm.”
Joseph Welch, 19, psychology major: “I’m not super worried. But the thought that it is possible for someone to acquire a weapon and use that at a school is a possibility to be worried about. The government needs to start putting more laws up to control guns.”
Mark Paniagua, 20, business major: “America should do better background checks on the people who do buy the guns.”
KeMelle Green, 19, music major: “The second amendment needs to be reformed. I understand that America is the land of the free but if these terrible mass shootings keep occurring, why not reform the Second Amendment? We have the power to do that. Why not do that?”
Lavar Johnson, 19, theatre/engineering major: “The shootings definitely make you think about if that were to happen here. I still feel the same as I did before, but I’m more aware now that those types of things can happen.”
Ricardo Hernandez, 21, chemistry major: “A frequent check on weapons that people have bought. They said he had an automatic weapon, (so we could be) a little tougher on that.”
Michelle Herrera, 18, nursing major: “I feel like we should have more laws defining what things we are able to get and laws defining what we need for our safety, especially with what just happened.”
Rajanae Garner, 20, emergency medical technician major: “I think (Americans) use guns as protection because they feel like it’s a powerful thing to have and if they have a gun they feel more powerful and if they don’t they feel less powerful.”
