Mark Helmke has been talking about gun laws and lobbying in a class he teaches on business and public policy at Trine University's Ketner School of Business.
Helmke, a Fort Wayne native who was an aide to former Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said in an email that his 400-level class has been covering the Federalist Papers, the Second Amendment, the Supreme Court's 2008decision that overturned a ban on handguns in the District of Columbia and the role of political lobbyists, including the National Rifle Association.
Helmke reported that more than half of the 20 of the students in his class said they own guns and that three are members of the NRA.
"All agreed forms of regulation are required" for gun ownership, he said, including age limits, background checks and permits.
"None wanted guns permitted in bars and on campus," he said. "Interesting take on the Washington debate."
Helmke's brother, Paul, is a former mayor of Fort Wayne and a former president of the Brady Campaign and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
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