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Thirty-two bodies will be scattered in the Free Speech Area at 12:50 p.m. today, one year after the Virginia Tech shooting, to raise awareness for gun control.
Students and a faculty member will dress in black shirts and lie in the grass for three minutes to remember the anniversary of the shooting and the 32 people killed by Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho, said Christian Heyne, president of Chico's Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
The number also represents the number of people who die from gun violence every day, he said.
"Our motto has always been the same," said Heyne. "If one person can be alive because of our efforts, then everything we've done has been worth it."
Senior Jennifer Tringali thinks people should acknowledge each other's values, she said.
"Some people might think it's stupid, and some people might think it's great," Tringali said. "It will be very diverse how people react."
Senior Travis McIntosh, a member of the group, said it was not difficult to find students to participate.
"It's not about taking sides," he said. "It's not a Democratic or Republican issue. It's a public safety issue."
The Brady Campaign was named after James Brady, assistant to former President Ronald Reagan, who was injured in a 1981 attempted assassination on the president, said Michael Coyle, the group's adviser.
College campuses in 33 states will hold their own lie-ins today, said Coyle, who is also a participant.
"A tremendous amount of pain, violence and death is occurring continuously in our nation because we failed to build sensible law and legislature about the obtaining of a gun," he said.
Personal experiences prompted Heyne to bring the national campaign to Chico, he said.
On Memorial Day weekend 2005, his mother, father and father's best friend were shot during a suspect's 14-hour shooting spree.
"People always told me (my parents) were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Heyne. "There shouldn't be a wrong place and a wrong time."
Freshman Jonathan Alexander thinks the event will have positive feedback because it deals with an issue most students do not give much thought to, he said.
"Public demonstration is a powerful thing, especially in a main walking area and especially if they do it in between classes," Alexander said.
Members of the campaign are also fighting to see that colleges do not allow students to bring weapons to school for protection, they said.
"When my parents were shot, my father's best friend had a gun 30 feet away and another five feet away," Heyne said. "It only took a second. For the 100,000 deaths a year (from gun violence) less than 1 percent is from someone stepping in. Numbers speak for themselves."
Renee Calder can be reached at rcalder@theorion.com
Related information: Sign up for the campus emergency notification system State gun laws Gun protest Blog about Brady Campaign
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