In a college of mostly liberal politics, the SRBA is different. The Students for the Right to Bear Arms has a threefold mission: to oppose gun control laws, to educate Carleton students about gun safety, and to organize gun-related recreation.
Last week the SRBA held a lecture on how to use a gun properly. Using a Nerf gun, Max Herzl-Betz '08 demonstrated the proper way to hold a rifle to an audience of about 10. His lecture covered how to hold and store a gun as well as firing range etiquette. Here are some of the facts he covered in his lecture:
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. If somebody jostles your elbow, the gun might go off.
- Set your firing targets up against a bank of earth. This makes it much less likely for somebody to walk up behind them.
- The way James Bond shoots a pistol is all wrong. Locking your elbows makes your aim worse and will make you sore after a while.
Currently the SRBA sponsors trips to a local firing range every few weeks. In the future, Max Herzl-Betz says it will get involved in gun rights advocacy and will probably associate with the NRA.
"We're not scary," says Herzl-Betz. He says the group advocates gun rights, not violence, except against paper targets.