Founding a club at Tufts is a complex process as is. The Tufts Community Union Judiciary website lists 10 steps of the recognition process, the tenth being a meeting with the Judiciary at which organizers must explain the aims of their new group and justify its creation.
Add the word "gun" to the club name, and the process might get a little sticky. This is why junior Nick Vik, the founder of the campus Gun Club, is working to cultivate the group's already solid membership base before moving on plans to apply for TCU recognition.
The club, Vik said, has been surprised by the amount of support it has received on a largely liberal campus. This doesn't mean, however, that there aren't stereotypes to overcome.
"At first glance it sounds like a bunch of gun nuts, but that's really not what it is," Vik said.
Now in its second semester, the club has gleaned an active membership of around 30 students, and is focused mainly on target shooting trips and recreational gun use, Vik said.
Vik was aware of the popular stigma that could work against a group affiliated with the use of firearms on a left−leaning campus, and was cautious in establishing this group. It hasn't been easy, he said.
"Members have felt unfairly judged on this campus," Vik said.
This is unfortunate, he added, because one of the club's main objectives is promoting gun safety. It's also a reason that he looks forward to helping to grow the group before he begins applying for official recognition from the TCUJ.
"We want to make sure we have a well−established group and member base before we apply," he said. "There's a risk with a club like this, there's a polarizing nature…We needed to establish ourselves first so that the campus understood that we are about the safe and responsible use of firearms."
Because so many student groups on campus align themselves with political ideologies, there is an instinct to make an assumption that the Gun Club is doing the same, according to junior Carly Fuglei said.
In fact, Vik added, only an interest in recreational gun use ties the group together.
"We have a very diverse membership," Vik said. "There is a good mix of experienced and novice gun users, both male and female. Anyone can join, the only prerequisite is to have an interest in target shooting."
The club's organizers are aware that the political aspect of their sport plays a large part in how they are perceived. As a result, the Gun Club plans to host speakers from both sides of the gun control debate so that students can formulate their own views on the matter.
"I think it's important to have this club on campus to promote diversity of thought," Fuglei explained.
New to the club this semester, Fuglei said she doesn't consider herself a typical gunslinger.
"I grew up in Montana where guns are part of the culture," she said. "At one point, if you signed up for DirecTV you got a free gun along with it. I enjoy shooting but am I all about guns? Not really," said Fuglei.
She added that, as a member of the club, she hopes to present a face of recreational gun use that differs from the Hollywood version.
"It's not about manliness and guns, it's more of an outing and a sport."
The club partially credits burgeoning interest from the student body for its success this semester.
"For our [general interest meeting] that gauged the excitement for the club, about 50 people showed up," one of the club's organizers, junior Alec Howard said. "Our e−list includes about 100 people."
The nature of the sport poses some logistical issues. Target shooting without a license is illegal in Massachusetts, so the club has taken to driving to shooting ranges in New Hampshire for its outings.
"Scheduling events is a big challenge.The range is about an hour away," Howard said.
Vik's decision to found the club stems from his passion for shooting. He explained that taking aim at targets, skeet or clay pigeons is a matter of fine−tuned practice.
"My favorite part of shooting is having a skill that not many people have: being able to shoot accurately. It's something that can really be measured very finely."
"It's not about the power of holding a gun," he said. "I've grown up around guns and learned to use them in a way that's really moderate. I consider it a sport rather than a hobby, [a sport where] you're competing against yourself every time you shoot."
Vik's love of the sport appears to be contagious. Howard said that in addition to a growing membership, the club has successfully scheduled its first range trip of the year to the Manchester Firing Line in Manchester, N.H. for next weekend.
As they gear up to begin the application for TCU recognition next semester, Howard said he is cautiously optimistic.
"It's a difficult thing to gauge just because of the nature of our club, but I am hopeful that the university will realize that there is a lot of interest at Tufts for a gun club."
