-Sophomore, American deaf studies major

“My theory is that it would just encourage gun use. Iʼm all for gun safety if they are going to make that decision to a gun. I feel that might encourage people to use guns a little more frequently.”

-Laura Heida Sophomore, Nursing major

“It could be useful because thereʼs some places selling guns out there and thereʼs a lot of people buying them so why not have the information out there to use them. It is useful.”

-Bardiya Khanfekr, Sophomore, Undecided major

“I think itʼs a good idea overall. I used to be against guns until I ran into a situation where I wish I had something to protect me and it wouldʼve made a huge difference.”

-Leonidas De Lao Sophomore, biomedical Engineering major

Quotes gathered by Kellan Bradley | Photos by Ezzat Bekheet

Illustration by Nelson Simmons

Reintroduce a gun saftey class

G uns are dangerous in the hands of people who do not possess the knowledge of how to properly use or store them. There needs to be a gun safety class at Pierce College to minimize the risks of guns in our homes and community. place to provide a non-credit Saturday class on gun safety to the residents of our community. There is no need for there to ever be a loaded gun in the classroom or for a shot to ever be fired on campus. Actually, such a class existed from 2008 to 2013 without a single incident. The class had a waiting list and was 75 percent women, according to the instructor in a Daily News article.

Regardless of your views on guns, the reality is that guns are commonplace in American homes and you have been in the close vicinity to them; whether you own one or not. In 2015, California received over 1.5 million applications to purchase guns which is the most in our state’s history. The application requires a background check and 10 day waiting period. There is zero requirement to know how to safely operate, clean or store your gun.In 2013, 505 people were killed by accidental shootings in the United States and from 2007 to 2011, an average of 62 children younger than 14 years old suffered fatal gunshot wounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Washington Post reported that in 2015 at least 265 people were shot by minors. The most common age of the shooter was 3 years old. A majority of these tragedies

Pierce College is a logical are easily preventable by simply possessing the knowledge on how to properly store your gun.

When the board of trustees banned all guns on LACCD campuses, including nonoperational ones, for people other than law enforcement, an exception was made for the Theater Department but not for the instructor of the gun safety class.

This was a political move from the anti-gun crowd under the guise of making the Pierce campus safer. In reality it makes our community more dangerous.

In a Daily News article, LACCD trustee Scott Svonkin said “By preventing guns on campus, I wanted to prevent people who took the class from shooting a horse or cow on campus.” This is an irrational statement at best, and intellectually dishonest at worst.

Should the campus cafeteria be utilized?

SHIR NAKASH Reporter @Shirnakah5

The opening of the Pierce cafeteria happened almost two years ago, in March of 2014. Why is it, then, that it has yet to turn out any food? There is no doubt in my mind that plenty of time and money went into building the brand new space and acquiring the proper appliances. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to just have unused materials sitting around.

Without a cafeteria, hungry students aren’t left with too many alternative food choices. There is a grand total of three food trucks to choose from, each located on opposite ends of the campus. Other than the distance, a common complaint about the food served by food trucks is that it’s not healthy at all. Not to mention, the few items they offer are pricey.

If you thought the food trucks were expensive, the snacks sold at the student store are even more overpriced. To say the least, it’s disappointing to have to pay so much for something that isn’t of good quality. Students should have access to a wider variety of filling, high-quality foods without going bankrupt in the process.

Besides food trucks, students have the Freudian Sip, which runs

Photographers:

Ezzat Bekheet

Ahmadreza Rastegarrazi Abdolreza Rastegarrazi

Dane Igharas

Jo Renee De Castro

Taylor Arthur

Travis Wesley

Alan Castro

Laura Chen

Brittany Stupar

Georgina Hernandez out of its products all too quickly and frequently. Additionally, the Sip provides limited outdoor seating. When the weather is right, eating outside can be nice. However, more often than not, it’s uncomfortably hot in Los Angeles, leaving you sweating it out under the sun and swatting at the incessant flies. Putting the cafeteria into use would provide a cooler, indoors alternative, which is definitely more comfortable and appealing.

Filling the cafeteria with food from a variety of vendors wouldn’t only benefit the students, but the school administration itself. The food sales would provide a steady revenue flow, which students will certainly be happy to contribute to. I see this as an obvious winwin situation in which both the provider and the consumer profit.

Since the cafeteria was built for the sole purpose of making and serving food, there is virtually nothing else it can be used for or transformed into. Not taking advantage of the space is a waste of money and resources. I firmly believe that Pierce should find a way to take advantage of the new and unused cafeteria if only because there’s simply no reason not to.

First, the students did not even bring guns to campus. Second, the instructor had possession of an unloaded gun for demonstrative purposes. Lastly, it was taught inside of a classroom and all shooting was done at a range off campus.

This is an important class that should return to Pierce. This is an educational institution and as long as people are allowed to possess guns, gun safety will remain a necessary area of instruction in order to reduce and prevent accidents involving guns. The issue is not whether there should be gun control or who should own a gun, that is a separate conversation. People do own guns and we should not politicize it and should view it rationally. Promoting responsible gun ownership makes a whole lot of sense.

Pro and Con