Almost immediately after the incident early Easter morning, dozens of tall white candles covered with saints and religious figures lined the corner sidewalk of 1821 W. Bradley Ave. Tightly tied to the crosswalk poles, assortments of metallic balloons attempted to defy gravity; bundles of red hearts; a slew of black and gold stars; all representing the bright future that had been unexpectedly snatched the night before.
Born and raised in Chicago, 18-year-old Nasjay Murry had been accepted into multiple pre-medical undergraduate programs – including the prestigious Brown University – but chose to attend Bradley University because it was closer to home. She would have been the first person in her immediate family to attend college had her life not been senselessly cut short. Murry attended a party hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, on Saturday, April 7, 2018. The unofficial Alpha Phi house is located just outside Bradley’s campus boundaries, and after advertising the party on social media, more than 100 individuals were in attendance, including an unknown number of non-Bradley Peorians. At approximately 1:45 a.m., the Peoria Police responded to a report of gunshots inside the party, arriving at the scene to find two individuals fatally shot: 22-year-old Anthony Polnitz and Bradley University freshman, Nasjay Murry.
Bradley University President Gary Roberts called the shooting a tragic loss in a mass email to students and faculty the next day, and underscored that safety is his utmost concern for his Bradley family. Several vigils were held for Murry in the following days and Murry’s family opened her funeral to the public on April 21.
Exactly one month later, the Alpha Phi house is still hauntingly vacant, inverting itself from the Bradley community just as the Peoria sun begins to grace the campus with its summer heat. The scene remains frozen in time; bouquets of flowers are replaced as they wilt and the balloons have yet to deflate. Stuffed animals come and go, but the size of the memorial remains the same, much like Bradley University’s efforts toward combatting gun violence.
Within the past five years, America has experienced 1,875 deaths and 6,848 injuries as a result of 1,624 mass shootings nationwide, according to The Guardian. While motives and locations have differed slightly each time, these mass shooters have almost always been white men exclusively wielding what The Rolling Stone calls, assault rifles “designed for the battlefield.” The Washington Post points out perhaps the most frightening facet of these acts of terror: “Most of the victims are chosen not for what they have done but simply for where they happen to be.” For mass shootings in public places, those victims were selected at random after ending up in a certain place as a result of hundreds of daily decisions. For the 290 school-specific shootings that have occurred in the wake of Sandy Hook, those students had no choice in where they ended up; they are mandated to sit within classroom walls for eight hours a day, for seven days a week for nine months of the year. They were sitting ducks, especially as mass shooters’ motives have become centered on fame. Yet, for decades, civilians have fought, representatives have stalled, and the country has become equal parts stagnant and divided over access to guns.
For many, gun control may seem like a civilian vs. legislator battle. But for the mid-sized, private school community of Bradley University, the issue just hit a little too close to home.
“I do not think that college students have the responsibility to promote gun control,” explained Nicholas Brusick, president of Bradley University’s College Republicans, “but they certainly have the right to advocate for it.”
Since a teenage gunman murdered 17 high school students in Florida on Feb. 14, 2018, America’s youth has been at the center of the gun control debate. With prominent voices like Emma Gonzalez, 18, emerging from the ashes of tragedy, the United States government has been forced to not only hear their pleas for change, but also to respond, opening up a public dialogue like never before.
“I’m Cuban and bisexual. I’m so indecisive that I can’t pick a favorite color and I’m allergic to 12 things,” Gonzalez told Harpers Bazaar.
“But none of this matters anymore. What matters is that my friends are dead, along with hundreds upon hundreds of others all over the United States.”
Possessing the combination of a momentous cultural shift on the horizon, as well as a direct tie to gun violence, Bradley University should prepare themselves to publically enter the gun control battle – arming themselves not with the weapon they seek to limit, but rather, the youth, education, and undeniable voices the liberal University has already fostered.
“There’s a real possibility of a generation change,” argued Bradley University Political Science Professor Craig Curtis.
“These kids will grow up to say, ‘we’ve got to protect children and this is more important than my ability to own a gun.’”
This sentiment has been deeply felt across campus in the aftermath of Murry’s death.
“None of the Alphas are able to talk to the public yet,” explained Kory Turner, Bradley University freshman and classmate of Murry.
In fact, Bradley students, along with 800 more cities around the world, followed dutifully behind Stoneman Douglas High School as the survivors organized massive protests and rallies. The Peoria Journal Star noted, in just five weeks after their shooting, the Parkland, Florida, students initiated the March for Our Lives, which garnered over 800,000 participants in Washington, D.C., alone. Not only did Bradley University hold their own March for Our Lives protest, they also organized a schoolwide walk-out in commemoration of the 17 high school lives that were lost. More than 300 Peoria citizens gathered in solidarity to listen to students from Bradley University and the surrounding high schools – all while facing one of Peoria’s harshest snowstorms of the season.
“There are always going to be obstacles in the way of fighting this battle, whether that’s the NRA, our President or a snowstorm,” admitted Bradley University Freshman Beckett Kenny, who attended Peoria’s March for Our Lives.
“But if you’re only doing advocacy when it’s fun or easy then you aren’t doing advocacy.”
Even those who did not attend the rally can feel the fire lighting up Bradley’s campus.
“This is obviously a really emotional time for a lot of people in the United States and Peoria specifically – any place where people have suffered from gun violence,” said Jerome Gregory, Bradley University senior and interim press secretary to Assistant Majority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, Jehan Gordon-Booth.
“But it is… a really amazing signal to students who are one of the most important groups… at this point in time when there’s so much political activism.”
College students have historically been the demographic to spark movements and instill change, but for the first time in recent history, these young scholars are finally starting to feel like the rest of the country is behind them. Regrettably, because the political actors with the power to enact gun reform are almost all, white, older men sitting in the Capital, Bradley students must equip themselves with the vast understanding of how America reached such a divisive stance on gun control, and further, the best course of action to see the change their community so badly needs.
“Gun control wasn’t always a controversial issue,” explained Curtis.
“We started as a society with virtually no rules. Everyone had both guns and the Frontier mentality to defend themselves from wild animals and wild humans.”
Although publically liberal, Curtis has owned and enjoyed guns for as long as he can remember. Yet, considering not a single piece of gun reform legislation has been passed since Sandy Hook – save the Bipartisan NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2008, which Trump repealed in part – Curtis adamantly believes America is in desperate need of gun legislation reform.
“Somehow in the 80s, gun rights became linked to general freedoms and the NRA has since been successful in convincing people that gun rights are key to all other rights,” Curtis continued.
“Rationally, it’s hard to deny the need for gun control. But as we injected religion and personality in politics, everything became weaponized and gun rights became central with conservatism.”
Undoubtedly, the Second Amendment has created a sub-debate within the gun control conversation, standing as a historical roadblock for many conservative Republicans.
“I think there are misconceptions about the intentions of gun safety advocates that they are trying to ‘take your guns away,’” added Kenny, ultimately underscoring the Democratic side of the coin.
However, for Republicans on Bradley’s campus, the Second Amendment still acts as a fundamental placeholder for an identity close to their heart.
“Generally, I disagree with the premise of gun control,” explained Brusick.
“However, I am in favor of certain provisions which do not limit Second Amendment rights, but greatly enhance safety.”
Many activists see how this exact mindset ultimately prevents bipartisan cooperation on a surplus of issues nationwide. But as the Bradley community continues to mourn the loss of a student, it is vital the campus reaches a mutually beneficial decision about how to act with regard to the Second Amendment, while also using Murry’s horrific death as a catalyst for change. That change begins with watering down the argument born from the Second Amendment.
“Since 2008, every state has been forced to allow some form of concealed carry,” revealed Curtis.
“It’s become a canary in coalmine.”
Curtis expanded, recognizing the need for gun control won’t strip qualified citizens from their gun rights, and this breakthrough is crucial to move forward as a collective with the potential to change the direction America is heading.
Now a licensed peace officer in Texas, former Marine Gale Tynefield served as Ronald Reagan’s Senior Support Specialist from 1981 to 1985. Tynefield was assigned to security of the Marine One helicopter and continues to teach adults and children alike everything there is to know about guns during his weekend gun boot camp classes.
“There has to be a reasonable solution that is somewhere towards the middle,” Tynefield explained.
“The NRA represents one extreme; the gun-banning left, the other.”
As either extreme remains focused on dominating the other in the political sphere, Bradley University has an unprecedented opportunity to hit the ground running locally. With the loss of one of their own incentivizing action and a learned readiness to hear arguments outside of individual echo chambers, students’ time to act is now. The only problem remains: how?
“I’m not sure what measures Bradley can take,” admitted Kenny.
“I think the burden ultimately falls on our elected officials.”
While Kenny’s apprehensiveness is warranted, the momentum created by Parkland’s high schoolers has paved the way for a student-led uprising. Unsurprisingly, many on Bradley’s campus have already begun to think of tangible courses of action.
Brusick and Tynefield alike acknowledged that strengthening background checks and screening for certain mental illnesses are a great place to start, but since those steps require help from government entities, the best place for Bradley students to start is right here at home.
“Perhaps the weakest point of the Democratic push for gun control is lack of familiarity with the subject matter,” Brusick said.
“It is quite staggering to me how many people pushing for gun control lack common firearm knowledge, usually pertaining to terminology and basic functionality… it makes gun control’s proponents seem ignorant.”
In response, Bradley University could create elective classes teaching gun safety basics. While potentially a stretch to solidify, classes like these could decrease the knowledge gap between those for and against gun control, as well as spark similar efforts across the country. If knowledge is what opponents want to see, Bradley’s educational institution can give them just that.
Kenny wants to take the fight to the polling booth, but acknowledges the limited resources many college students face.
“We could create some kind of carpool or transportation system for people who want to vote as elections are coming up, but don’t have a way to reach the polling stations from campus,” he suggested.
“So many college students feel so passionately about these things because they affect our safety. Voting for candidates who will protect your rights is the best cure.”
With Kenny’s recommendation, Bradley University could lead the nation in yet another struggle: a lack of voting from college demographics. Implementing a carpool system during elections or to and from town meetings could familiarize students with what goes on in their government while also instilling the feeling of political involvement as a civic duty.
Further, as Bradley’s Political Science programs are some of the largest on campus, students now have the incentive to put their skills to use in their own community. Jerome Gregory has been active in local Peoria campaigns for the past three years and has been fighting alongside Representative Gordon-Booth to pass a gun dealer licensing bill.
“There isn’t much that the passage of this bill would do particularly for Bradley students unless they were selling or buying guns as or from unlicensed dealers,” Gregory admitted.
“But [it should] help to make people feel like there is a more open line for dialogue.”
These ideas coming from Bradley’s own students aren’t just pipedreams without foundations; due to mass shootings occurring nine out of every 10 days in America, students are being forced to thoroughly examine what can be done just as often.
“College students are the future of the nation; they have great bearing on policy,” said Brusick.
Even adults across the country understand that college students are the ones who, if successful, will be heralded as the change-bringers.
“I’m hoping for generational change,” reminded Curtis.
“We need safe spaces and we can’t have them until we reduce the number of guns in this country.”
As the gun control debate drones on, there is certainly a beacon of hope shining from college campuses like Bradley’s. Indeed, children are the future, and there is no better place to begin an avalanche of political change than where those children spend the majority of their young lives. For Nasjay Murry, her future was exceptionally bright, and despite the devastating act of violence which prohibited that future from coming to fruition, her legacy lives on. Whether or not that legacy lingers in sidewalk memorials or evolves and endures through policies enacted by the surviving students of her school, remains to be seen. Either way, the decision is in Bradley’s hands.