Opinion By Larry Keane
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)-A recent analysis of the lobbying activity of Johns Hopkins University found a conflict in the institution’s priorities.
According to the Baltimore Sun, Hopkins spent $581,000 in the 2019 legislative session in its effort to convince lawmakers to approve an armed police force. This was a 58 percent increase from the prior session spending and made the University the third-biggest spender for Maryland’s 2019 General Assembly session. The proposal was met with controversy in the legislature, and on campus, where students held protests against the armed police force.
Request Granted
Their efforts paid off, with Gov. Larry Hogan signing the approval into effect for July 1. Hopkins can now create a police force of up to 100 armed officers for the campus and adjacent residential streets.
This is odd for the home of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, part of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, a center devoted to the promotion of gun control.
This center’s activities aren’t limited to the publication of research, as one would expect from a University.
Lobby Against Gun Ownership
It also boasts of various state and federal lobbying activities, and of grassroots programs such as the Summer Youth Institute, “a 3.5 day workshop where youth will work directly with Center faculty to learn how to translate gun policy and research into action, inform advocacy efforts, and pursue actionable change within their own communities.” Looking at federal expenditures alone, the University has already spent $130,000 this year on issues including firearms. Last year the institution spent $660,000 and in 2017, it spent $800,000.
So while the institution will now have guards protecting the campus with firearms, will Hopkins also continue to declare that firearms are the problem in society?
About National Shooting Sports Foundation
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 10,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. www.nssf.org
See what happened there. (read below comments). The left is great at controlling the conversation. They have most of the commenters here talking, discussing, arguing about the terms “guard” and “police officer” and adjacent powers. The article is a very simple example of the irony and hypocrisy of those who want to disarm us citizens. They want armed protection, but want to eliminate it for us “deplorable’s”. That’s the gist. And think about this: They have their OWN armed “force” now, and can train and direct it as “needed”…. And don’t say that “police officers will obey and uphold the… Read more »
Hopkins declares that Firearms are the Problem in society? “NEWS FLASH”, Firearms are NOT the PROBLEM, Hateful, Disrespectful, EVIL Human Beings Are the PROBLEM.
Armed police on a school campus? Save the money, just put up gun free signs and chain the gates. That what they do at some California high schools.
Call “them” what you will. The HYPOCRISY is that “johns hopkins” IS AGAINST individuals having weapons to DEFEND themselves. “They” have enabled a select group that is NOT RESPONSIBLE for ANY INDIVIDUALS’ SAFETY. The HYPOCRISY is that “they” get to have and carry weapons to GUARD MATERIALS, PROPERTY.
Johns Hopkins policy, guns for us but not for you.
Let’s not do the leftist thing and call things that which they are not. They are, according to the article “Police Officers” and not “guards.” Being actual police officers and not guards they should have arrest powers as well as guns. The only problem is that, as we all know, the police are not responsible for the safety of an individual in society. But it will look nice and may even deter some lower level offenders. Considering I have no plans to be anywhere near that part of the country I find it an amusement.