The Wake

The mood fluctuates from comical to contemplative when the Students for Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms meet at Big Ten Restaurant and Bar for drinks and discussion.

Students for Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is a group that was formed nearly a year and a half ago by conservative-leaning university students.

Group member Orlando Ochoada claims credit for suggesting the name to the group’s founder, Bob Gindorf. “Everybody knows that Bob Gindorf has never in his life came up with a good idea by himself,” jokes Ochoada, who said he recommended the name when Gindorf said he was going to start a student group in support of Second Amendment rights.

According to SATF president Marty Andrade, the group’s activities include visiting the shooting range. “We went through a lot of ammunition that day,” says Andrade recalling the crew’s latest trip to a shooting range in East Bethel, Minn.

The group also participates in political debates and helps bring conservative speakers to campus.

Andrade said the group, which consists of about a dozen students, helped bring a program featuring conservative comedians called “The Right Stuff” to campus last year. They also recently participated in the event held at Stub & Herb’s to protest the citywide smoking ban.

While SATF members champion citizen’s rights to possess firearms and enjoy tobacco and alcohol products, they believe guns, booze and smokes should be used responsibly and correctly. Group member Dan Nelson says that people who want to mix drinking with shooting should just go to the bar and play the videogame “Buck Hunter” instead of going out to hunt.

Andrade recalls an instance where he witnessed someone struggling to smoke a cigar properly. “We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen,” says Andrade.

The group has also talked about having beer and wine tasting events according to Andrade, who believes that too many college students choose to drink poor-quality light beer.

When it comes to guns, the SATF stance is clear. “If [the weapon’s effects] are contained within your property, you should be able to use it,” says Nelson. Andrade refers to a study done in Kennesaw, Ga., where an ordinance was put in place requiring heads of households to possess a firearm. According to Andrade, burglaries in the city decreased by 89 percent after the ordinance was put in place.

The group members are split when it comes to the legalization of marijuana. Andrade and group member Neil Jensen don’t see a problem with legalizing the drug. Nelson, backs his opposing stance by saying, “When you drink when you’re 14, you still have half-a-brain—case in point being Marty.”

Members of SATF were disappointed by the Student Fees Committee’s decision to dismiss their request for $32,000 in funding for next year. They believe the group meets all of the criteria for receiving funding and that SATF was more deserving of the money than some of the other recreational groups receiving funding.

Andrade says that the money was to be put towards organizing various events for the group. According to Andrade a large chunk of the money — $20,000 to be exact —would have been put toward bringing gun-loving rocker Ted Nugent to campus.

Grant Boelter is a staff writer for The Wake. He welcomes comments at office@wakenews.org.