Gun safety course draws fire Local neighborhood council takes aim at handgun course o ered on campus

Michaia Hernandez/Roundup mhernandez.roundupnews@gmail.com

The Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council is trying to stop a gun training and safety course that has been offered by Pierce College since 2008 from being taught on campus.

The council, an elected advisory body representing Woodland Hills and Warner Center locals, voted 10-9 on Wednesday, May 8 to revise and send a letter to the Pierce president, a trustee and the chancellor of the district the school is under, calling for the relocation of the class.

The vote comes days before the next session of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Basic Pistol Course on campus.

“We have absolutely no problem with the class,” said Scott Silverstein, council chair. “But the board feels that it’s inappropriate to have it on a school campus.”

Though the class has been ongoing for the past five years, the council only just became aware of its existence after they happened to see it listed in the latest catalog with the schedule of classes.

Alma Johnson-Hawkins, Pierce’s acting president, was present at the May 8 meeting to get first-hand information on the issue, she said.

“They had what they thought were facts,” she said. “We just want to make sure that everything is accurate.”

Besides fact checking, the administration isn’t currently taking any steps to either cancel or move the class elsewhere.

“There’s so much in the air right now. It’s really hard to plan a response,” Johnson-Hawkins said. “This is a serious issue. This will be handled by the appropriate people.”

The course--provided through Pierce Extension, the college’s notfor-credit community education program--covers the basics of handling firearms, including ammunition, fundamentals of pistol marksmanship and how to clean and store handguns.

While the lecture portion of the class is taught on campus, a live fire section is conducted at a nearby firing range, according to the course description.

[See GUNS, page 3]

Nationwide search for a new chancellor begins

Michaia Hernandez/Roundup mhernandez.roundupnews@gmail.com

The incoming chancellor for the Los Angeles Community College District must be responsible with accreditation, accountable and available for the long term, according to Pierce College administrators, faculty and staff.

The aggregation of campus officials was given the chance to contribute to the chancellor profile that will help narrow down the pool of applicants for the position during a forum hosted Monday, May 14 by a national search team helping the LACCD with the process.

The current chancellor, Daniel LaVista will be resigning after his contract with the district ends on June 30.