The Delta Sigma Theta sorority hosted an open discussion on gun control, with a concentration on issues facing African-Americans, at the Malcolm X Cultural Center on Wednesday night. The discussion touched on a broad spectrum of issues ranging from gun violence in schools to policies that affect the modern gun owner.

Britainy Stephens, a junior Afro-American Studies major and a member of the sorority, said that the purpose of the discussion was to create an open dialogue between members of the African-American community in Amherst about gun laws in light of the national controversy surrounding the subject.

“Unless you’re a political science or criminal justice major, you don’t inquire about such a serious subject regularly,” Stephens said.

“We’re trying to stay neutral,” added Latasha Kelly, the president of the sorority. “We just want to guide and put an emphasis on discussion, not debate.”

After showing clips from a few documentaries, including Michael Moore’s 2002 film “Bowling for Columbine,” sorority members facilitated the discussion by asking questions that pertain to gun violence in America.

The conversation was dominated by a discussion of the role that the American media plays regarding the public perception of guns.  Students voiced concerns that mainstream media coverage of gun violence can at times seem biased against African-Americans.

“We all have the opportunity to learn and understand the truth about guns,” said Latasha Green, an adviser to the sorority and the only person who identified herself as a gun owner during the discussion.

“Media dictates what we all think as a society,” Shira Adams, a junior psychology major, said. “If the media treats African-Americans as a danger to themselves, then of course that’s what people are going to think.”

However, Kim Henry, another adviser from the sorority, and others, opposed the viewpoint that states that the media dictates what society thinks.

“The media does pick and choose, but we give them the messages to pick and choose from,” Henry said. “If we gave them nothing but positive things to say, then the media perception would be different.”

Mental illness as related to gun ownership was also discussed throughout the dialogue. While most students acknowledged that psychiatric evaluations should somehow be included in the process of obtaining a gun permit, many said the focus should be trying to prevent a problem before it starts.

“The most important thing is acknowledgement,” Chanelle Adams, a graduate student at UMass, said. “We all have that family member we joke about, like ‘oh they’re crazy,’ but we don’t help them get the help they need.”

“Every school shooting, whether it was Sandy Hook, Aurora or Columbine, all of the shooters had some sort of mental illness,” added Green. “There needs to be a level of responsibility within the community.”

James Petroskey can be reached at [email protected].