Gun-control activist David Hogg spoke at Penn State Friday evening. Only hours before, a group of pro-gun activists rallied in downtown State College.
Aidan Mattis organized the event for two reasons. “First of all,” he said, “David Hogg as an individual is one of two things: he is either an ignorant pawn of the establishment, or he’s a liar.”
Mattis characterized Hogg as having an “extremist point of view on the gun-rights issue” and blamed Penn State’s Student Programming Association for neglecting to bring anyone to voice the opposing viewpoint. He feels conservative students do not have the same access that the opposition does, stating, “All the political programming — all the inspirational speaker programming — is entirely left-wing.”
Hogg’s speech, titled “Engage in Change: Our Generation Must Own Democracy,” drew an estimated crowd of more than 100 attendees. According to Penn State’s Undergraduate Admissions’ website, there are about 46,000 undergrad students at University Park. (RELATED: David Hogg Avoids CNN’s Simple Question About Gun Control)