Trey Ramsey addresses the crowd at Bell Hall
A group of 25 concerned citizens gathered at Tech Oct. 23 to hear the National Rifle Association’s grassroots efforts to protect the Second Amendment.
The speaker was Trey Ramsey, senior grassroots field coordinator for the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. He is the lead contact for NRA campus programs.
“The NRA started to become really active in campus activism once they expanded from being only headquarter based, to having grassroots operations,” Ramsey said.
The program that brought Ramsey to Bell Hall is called NRA University. NRA U is described on its website as an interactive presentation where students learn about the Second Amendment, the NRA and the current gun debate. Representatives debunk anti-gun myths, answer questions from students and share opportunities to get involved locally, according to its website.
The Tech chapter of Young Americans for Liberty sponsored the event. The chapter is led by president Aaron Sams who is pro-gun and believes this group has an aligned interest with the NRA.
“The NRA is important in that it lines up with supporting constitutional rights on and off campus, which is one of Young Americans for Liberty’s main goals,” Sams said.
In 2016, the Tennessee Board of Regents approved a policy allowing faculty and staff with valid concealed carry permits to carry a gun on campus.
“I am for campus carry. I wish the state legislature would push that issue a little bit more. I think it is something as college students we get pushed off a little bit more as not an active voting bloc, and some of our issues like the campus carry law get pushed to the wayside,” Sams said.
