In response to the recent tragedy in Newtown, Conn., the Association of American Universities issued a statement on Jan. 2 urging President Barack Obama and Congress to concentrate on gun violence.

The AAU, which is an amalgamation of 60 top U.S. universities, including Brandeis, and two Canadian research universities, called for action in the areas of gun control, care for the mentally ill and the role that media plays in society's views on gun violence.

"Progress in all three of these domains is made difficult by the need to balance liberty and safety," the statement read. "We are particularly sensitive to this difficulty because our universities hold freedom of inquiry and learning as a core value."

Although the recent massacre in Newtown took place in an elementary school, past shootings, such as the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre have forced college campuses to assess their policies and views on gun control and security. However, conflicts with the law have affected the ability of certain universities to implement and enforce policies to ensure their students' safety. "Increasingly, universities find themselves prevented by state laws from keeping guns off campus and out of the hands of students," the statement read.

University President Frederick Lawrence was unavailable for comment, but is a signatory to the AAU's statement.

Section 2.9 of the 2012-2013 Rights and Responsibilities handbook states that "[a] student is expected and required to ... observe the prohibition of on-campus possession of firearms (including blank pistols and replicas, bb guns, and pellet guns), explosives, knives, fireworks, nun-chucks, paintball guns, and other articles or substances usable as weapons."

According to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan, the University policy does not contradict Massachusetts law, as the state of Massachusetts prohibits carrying a weapon on the grounds of a school or university without proper permissions in chapter 269 section 10(j).

Despite the strict University policy, incidents have occurred involving the presence of unauthorized weapons on campus. "On Feb. 24, 2010, the University policy responded to reports of a gun shot," said Callahan in an interview with the Justice. "Police confiscated a C02 [BB] gun, and a University judicial referral was filed." Additionally, on April 22, 2009, a pellet gun was found, and on Feb. 25, 2009, a BB gun that was a replica of a semi-automatic pistol was observed sticking out of a student's pants.

According to Callahan, an incident during the 1990s involving gun violence at a fundraising dance in Levin Ballroom for the W.E.B. DuBois Scholarship Fund was the only one in recent history to have led to reported injury.

"People were in attendance at a dance in Usdan, and guns were shot," said Callahan. "It appeared to be rival gang members." 24-year-old Rodney Clanton, a Boston resident who was not a University student, was shot in the leg. The incident, which took place on Jan. 27, 1996, led to the use of metal detectors upon entering future school dances.

Those living off campus are permitted to own guns, although these guns would not be permitted on campus. In addition, according to Callahan, the guns would be difficult to acquire in the state of Massachusetts.

"If a student lives off campus, he or she would have to apply through the city of Waltham and the state ... and they may even call me," said Callahan. "To me, there is no reason why any student would need a gun. The University police, the Waltham police, we are here to protect you ... Firearms should be left in the hands of professionals, not students."

The Obama administration has guaranteed that it will present a proposal addressing gun violence by the end of this month, and in addition has initiated a task force led by Vice President Biden to assist with the creation of the anticipated proposal. The AAU statement includes a plea that Congress cooperate with the Administration's efforts to address gun violence, and commends the Administration's plans to combat the issue at hand.
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