Constitution Day celebration

By Anna Duran

This year’s annual Constitution Day highlighted the Second Amendment and was presented across all campuses by “Dr. Politics.”

Honors Students primarily staffed DMACC’s the planning committee for the event this year.

The main speaker at both events was Dr. Steffen W. Schmidt, “Dr. Politics,” professor of political science and public policy at ISU.

Dr. Steffen Schmidt of Iowa State University addressed a crowd of 30 on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013. Photo by Alex Payne

Dr. Steffen Schmidt of Iowa State University addressed a crowd of 30 on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013. Photo by Alex Payne

The topic of this year’s event was the Second amendment, which states, “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”

The American Constitution is the oldest continuously used document of law in the world.

Dr. Schmidt discussed current events as he opened his presentation, as the mass murder in the US Navy Yard had occurred within days.

“You never know when you plan these things, but this could not be more relevant to what’s in the news,” Schmidt said.

The American constitution is also the shortest in the world, which allows for the language to be vague, therefore open to interpretation and controversy.

“In a longer constitution, the Second Amendment might have contained language regulating the types of guns people could have, how many rounds, etc, but that’s just not the way our document works,” Schmidt said.

Americans in general are mostly in favor of tighter gun control. Since 1990, public support of certain restrictions has risen slightly, according to Dr. Schmidt. “Politicians might pay closer attention to these facts,” he said.

Copies of the Constitution were distributed after all events.

“Read it,” Schmidt said.

David E. Young, an historian and expert on the Second Amendment, also spoke at Ankeny and Urban campuses.

Also on Sept 19 in Boone, Iowa House member Chip Baltimore (R-Boone County) spoke after Schmidt’s discussion was broadcast to all campuses except Ankeny. Shawn Miller spoke at West Campus.

 

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