College Prohibits Creation of Student Gun Club Over Church Ties
A private college in Minnesota has denied the request of a student to create a rifle club because it goes against the school and its partner church's stance on gun control.
Concordia College is a partner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and advocates for limits on gun use and ownership.
Senior student Liam Nuhring, 22, who submitted the application for a National Rifle Association (NRA) club, was not at all surprised by the school's response. Nuhring arranged for the club's creation and spent six months corresponding between the school and the NRA. He also enlisted around 50 students who showed interest in being part of it.
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"This is something we all saw coming," he told the West Fargo Pioneer. "It wasn't a surprise by any means."
He conceded that the creation of the club is "controversial," adding that he planned on removing the NRA from the name of the club to make his application more appealing to school authorities.
In an interview with the Valley News Live, Nuhring told host Chris Berg that he intends to call the group as simply a "gun club" instead of a "National Rifle Association Gun Club." He said the body would serve as an avenue for students to talk about firearms, their use and the policies pertaining their usage.
According to Nuhring, the Student Engagement sent a denial letter in which it cited adherence to the values and principles of the school and its partner, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), as its reason for the disapproval.
According to the letter, the ELCA advocates gun control and favors the "passage and strict enforcement of local, state and national legislation that rigidly controls manufacture, importation, exportation, sale, purchase, transfer, receipt, possession and transportation of handguns, assault weapons and assault-like weapons and their parts, excluding rifles and shotguns used for hunting and sporting purposes, for use other than law enforcement and military purposes."
Nuhring clarified that the proposed club would not call for the carrying of "concealed" firearms inside the school.
While he intends to resubmit his application for the club minus the NRA in the name, he believes that doing so would cause the group lost opportunities. At the same he thinks it is the only way to get approval.
"If we need to remove the NRA affiliation, then that's what we'll do and it is my suspicion that the group will be allowed to move forward at that point in time. But again that is still speculation," he told the Daily Caller.
