Leftists, Guns and Free Speech at the University of New Hampshire

By Jim on April 24th, 2008

It doesn’t surprise me a bit that one of the professors would not allow this student to wear an empty holster. While it’s good that she relented later, it speaks volumes about the hatred and intolerance directed at gun owners by the authoritarian socialists that are currently in charge at most of our public universities. There is little or no political balance at this point and that needs to change as quickly as possible.

WHEN IT COMES to curtailing the free-speech rights of Americans who do not happen to be radical liberals, nothing outperforms the college campus.

There are the well-known tactics: “speech codes” written by left-wingers for the purpose of silencing those who disagree with them, professors who structure their courses with a political slant and accept no dissent, large-scale thefts of conservative publications, and the denial of student funding or official recognition to conservative groups.

Now UNH adds another one to the list. A professor’s refusal to let a student wear a small symbol of political protest in class.

UNH senior Matt Ham, 22, wanted to wear an empty holster to class to protest UNH’s policy of not allowing students to carry guns on campus. He asked four professors if he could wear the holster and give a brief explanation for his leg-gear to the class. Three of them gave him the OK. One, Priscilla Reinertsen, who teaches sociology, refused to let him even wear the holster to class.

Never mind for the moment that Ham’s holster-wearing protest is protected free speech. The question is this: Would he have met the same amount of resistance had he asked to wear an article of clothing as a statement of anti-gun views?

Surely not.

Reinertsen relented and later admitted that Ham had the right to wear the holster in class. She did not let him speak to the class, but that is understandable. The students (or their parents) are paying to learn from their teacher, not to hear a political protest during class time.