Birch bark: from the forest to your face
see NEWS, A3
Embracing the cold to raise money see STUDENT LIFE, B4
THE STATESMAN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH
WWW.UMDSTATESMAN.COM
Gun laws hit close to home Tension grows after mass shooting in Connecticut BY ANNE KUNKEL CHRISTIANSON kunke063@d.umn.edu
President Obama could possibly be best remembered for issuing one of the boldest attempts to regulate gun control the government has ever seen. “I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them (gun laws) a reality,” said Obama in a press conference on Jan. 16. “If there’s even one life that can be
saved, then we’ve an obligation to try.” Since the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, Obama has been pushing congress to pass new and tighter gun laws. These laws would require a universal background check for every gun sale, ban commercial sale of military-style assault weapons, allow gun magazines to hold no more than 10 rounds, and have harsher penalties for people caught illegally selling or obtaining a firearm. These proposed laws, however, have seen
opposition not only from Congress but from organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) as well. The NRA released an official statement shortly after Obama’s proposed gun laws were made public. “Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation,” the statement read. “Only honest, lawabiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy.” The NRA also said they look forward to working with Congress to stop gun violence, but the focus should be on gun safety and being responsible.
UMD students, like senior accounting major Christopher Steffenson, are also concerned that the proposed laws won’t have the desired effects Obama is hoping for. “First off, these people that are doing these horrible activities are criminals,” said Steffenson. “Criminals don’t follow the law. They will get what they want and do what they want, in most instances, because there are already many of these firearms on the market and in people’s possessions.” Obama has already enforced measures that he hopes will move gun awareness and safety in the right direction. On Jan. 16 the President implemented 23 executive actions involving gun safety that were to be followed immediately. These actions
include providing law enforcement, first responders and school officials with training for active shooting situations, and funding for the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence, its causes, and how to prevent it. As of now, it is unclear how these new laws could affect current gun owners, but Steffenson said he doesn’t think it’s the guns people should be worrying about. “It’s a lose-lose situation,” he said. “People that are committing these crimes are usually in an unhealthy mental state. And nothing will be done to help people with mental illness because we like to take the easy way out and ignore those situations and blame something else.” The first congressional hearings to address the potential new laws will be held later this week.
Student’s father killed in Accent Signage shooting BY JAMIE MERIDETH merid003@d.umn.edu
.
Just four months after her father’s death, Topaz Cooks, 21, is standing strong. Her father, Rami Cooks, 62, died after wrestling with gunman Andrew Engeldinger, who shot and killed six people at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis on September 27 before turning the gun on himself. “I want people to know that gun violence is a very real t h i n g ,” s a i d ILLUSTRATION BY JOE FRASER Cook s, a junior
studying theater production at UMD. Although the newest discussion on gun violence has just begun, Cooks says she’s not ready to completely voice her own personal opinions on the topic. “It’s such an emotional topic, especially right now,” Cooks said. “It’s just scary that there are people out there who will openly disagree and not care that I lost someone.” This hasn’t stopped Cooks from continuing forward after the harrowing event that left her without her “biggest supporter.” “This is a part of me now,” Cooks said. “I feel like talking about it is one of the best ways to get through it.” She was in Duluth celebrating a friend’s birthday when she got a
phone call from her brother, who told her what had happened. A roommate rushed her to Minneapolis where she saw her father in critical condition at a local hospital. A group of media was waiting outside when she arrived. “I’m just frantic,” Cooks recalled. “I don’t know where to go. And then when my brother came to get me, he had my dad’s blood all over his shirt.” Before Cooks saw her father, her brother yielded a warning: their father looked different from the dad she knew. Rami had been shot twice, once in the arm and once in the head. “I was in the hospital with him in the last hour of his life,” she continued. “His hands were cold. He was pretty much gone.” see TOPAZ, A3
Contamination levels in Minn. lakes rising BY GRAHAM HAKALA hakal045@d.umn.edu
As flu season rages on, students are constantly reminded to wash their hands to avoid catching the bug. A new study from the U of M suggests that people might want to reconsider the products they use to fight off germs. The study done by U of M’s science and engineering department reveals that triclosan, a common antibacterial agent, has been found in increasing amounts in Minnesota lakes. The elevated levels are the result of triclosan products, such as antibacterial soap and body wash, being washed down the drain. “It’s known that triclosan can affect algae, which is important, since they’re kind of at the botINDEX:
News: A1 - A4 |
tom of the food chain,” said Bill Arnold, U of M science and engineering department professor and lead author of the study. The study found that when triclosan is passed through wastewater treatment facilities and then sent into the environment, it creates potentially hazardous byproducts known as chlorinated triclosan derivatives. When exposed to sunlight, triclosan and its derivatives form what are called dioxins. According to Arnold, these dioxins are now being found in high concentrations, which is a cause for concern. “There are some potential toxic effects from the triclosan itself, but triclosan derivatives toxicity really hasn’t been studied,” Arnold said. see CONTAMINATION, A3
RHONDA ZURN/SUBMITTED
Grad students from the University of Minnesota and Professor Arnold (right) collect sediment samples from Lake Superior.
Opinion: A5 - A6 | Sports: B1 - B2 | Outdoors: B3 | Student Life: B4 - B5