Professor Withholding Recommendation for Female Student Who Likes Guns

A professor writing under a pseudonym expressed her hesitancy April 18 to write a letter of recommendation for a female student who is pro-gun.

The student–Sarah–is seeking entry into a “teacher-credential program,” and although her academic abilities are “not strong,” the professor recognizes her as “a class leader” with “great energy.” But the professor does not want to write a recommendation because of Sarah’s desire for a concealed carry permit and also because of comments Sarah made about shooting a rifle at a gun range.

Writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the professor described growing up with guns in the house and even talked about shooting events that were held at the college she attended. But she suggests incidents like the October 1 shooting in the gun-free zone at Umpqua Community College are causing second thoughts. Moreover, she says active-shooter drills that require professors to “shelter-in-place” have unnerved her, making her even more unsure about supporting a pro-gun student.

The professor also says she is not sure where Sarah stands on the “political failures” that stifled the passage of more gun control in recent years. The professor believes the failure to pass more gun control has cost lives and ended the “sense of safety” educators once enjoyed.

The professor concludes:

How can I say that I don’t want to support students who are gun enthusiasts, without getting put on some sort of list? You know — Santa Shoot 2.0. I mean, she’s applying to a teacher-credential program, for God’s sake. I wish the way forward was more black and white to me — that I knew what to do in this situation. But I don’t.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.