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Following the mass shooting at Marjory Douglas Stoneman H.S. in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day 2018, Oakland University faculty in Detroit, Michigan conducted an active shooter training session.
During the training, a participant asked Oakland University Police Chief Mark Gordon what items students could defend themselves with in the event of such an attack. Gordon mentioned hockey pocks and it “kind of caught on.” The faculty union followed up by purchasing 2,500 hockey pucks—800 for union members and 1,700 for students—and distributing them.
The university conducts training sessions teaching the “run, hide, fight” method and they are instructing students to throw the hockey pucks at shooters in order to “injure” and “distract” them.
“I find it, at first, absurd,” said student Adam Kalajian. “If there’s an armed person coming in, why would you chuck a puck at them?” Other students pointed out that pucks are no match for semiautomatic weapons, some of which can penetrate body armor.
Please contact Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz and Police Chief Mark Gordon through one of the channels below and give them the following message (personalized to your liking):
I was absolutely disgusted to learn that you distributed 1.700 hockey pucks to Oakland University students and told them to throw them at gunmen during mass shootings, most of which involve semiautomatic firearms and high-capacity ammunition magazines. This is idiotic and a total abdication of your moral responsibility to do your best to protect the students under your care. How about instead of handing out hockey pucks you get off your butt and lead a group of faculty to the state legislature to advocate for gun laws that will disarm violent people in your community? Michigan doesn’t prohibit the transfer or possession of assault weapons, .50-caliber rifles or large capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. Michigan doesn’t have licensing requirements for long gun purchasers, who can avert background checks through private sales/transfers. Michigan even blocks municipal governments from regulating guns in their communities, which is idiotic and anti-American. If you are genuinely concerned about the safety of your students, there is real work to be done at the state legislature in lobbying politicians to care more about your students than the gun industry’s profits. Go do it.
Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz
Phone: (248) 370-3500
Email: president@oakland.edu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oaklandu/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oaklandu
Oakland University Police Chief Mark Gordon
Phone: (248) 370-3000
Email: mbgordon@oakland.edu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oakunivpolice
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oupd
Once you have contacted Police Chief Gordon, please fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!