Gun Control, Thought Control

The day after the shooting at an Oregon community college, I was sitting in history class when my professor made the entire class watch a video of President Obama demanding more gun control legislation.

After watching the video, my professor attempted to entice the class to support gun control, and several students started to voice their support for stricter anti-gun legislation.

I’m sure some believed in anti-gun legislation beforehand, but many had never thought about the role of guns in society until that very day. Of course, they were only exposed to one side of the issue. I was outraged by what I was hearing — brainwashed students regurgitating back liberal opinions on guns.

When I left school that day, I had to wonder if these so-called “professors” are really there to teach their students or just to spread their own agenda to those who will believe anything a Ph.D. has to say.

“I will not let my college professor brainwash me,” I thought to myself.

As the class was wrapping up, my professor asked me for my view on guns. My take was much different from what the rest of the class had been talking about.

I told him that the Constitution states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed, and that the type of gun control measures he was advocating violate the spirit and the letter of the Constitution. I also said that despite the second-strictest gun control laws in the U.S., Chicago has the highest crime rate. I tried to explain that gun control will not punish criminals but will instead hurt the law-abiding citizens who own or carry firearms for protection or hunting.

After I was through giving my opposition to increased gun-control measures, my professor was not happy. As if none of these facts mattered, my professor declared with great frustration, “Gun control always works!” Case closed.

After all, when a professor declares his opinion as fact, and the college gives him the authority to do so, a debate on the real issues seems frivolous.

When I left school that day, I had to wonder if these so-called “professors” are really there to teach their students, or just to spread their own agenda to those who will believe anything a Ph.D. has to say.

Three days after the heated gun-control debate, I found myself in a similar situation. This time, the professor was looking to convince students to favor minimum-wage increases and universal health care. I wanted to debate him about the issues, but I decided against it. After all, when a professor declares his opinion as fact, and the college gives him the authority to do so, a debate on the real issues seems frivolous.

Luis Ortiz is a dual enrollment student at Fayetteville Technical Community. This piece is part of a CampusZette series exploring the culture, oddities, and experiences of students on college campuses through their eyes.