For Joy Ellis, guns were a normal part of her childhood. She tagged along on her father and brother’s recreational hunting trips in Washington, and her brother started hunting and shooting when he was in middle school.

“When my brother thought Hillary (Clinton) was going to be elected, he went out and spent around $20,000 on firearms because he thought his right was going to be taken away,” said Ellis, a junior public relations and advertising major.

After a shooter killed 17 students in Parkland, Florida, Feb. 14, the gun control debate has resurfaced. In California, about 20 percent of residents own a gun, according to a 2015 Columbia University study. Alaska and Arkansas have the highest rates of gun ownership, with 61.7 percent and 57.9 percent, respectively.

Though gun ownership isn’t as common in California, some Chapman students are accustomed to being around guns.

Ellis is not interested in owning a gun, but she said that her parents encourage her to stay vigilant about gun safety.

“I vividly remember (my dad) cleaning (the gun), and my mom saying this is a dangerous object, and it’s not something to be played with,” Ellis said. “That was always made clear as long as I can remember.”

Ed Roth, owner of Ed’s Gun Sales in Orange, believes gun owners should be prepared to take on the responsibility of owning a weapon.

“Eighteen-year-olds buy Ducati (motorcycles) all the time. People buy all sorts of stuff that isn’t safe,” Roth said. “I kind of relate a fifth of whiskey to a gun – you can have fun or you can end up in a crash in an intersection.”

Ellis grew up with an understanding of guns in both recreational and professional settings, but she never considered gun control laws until the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting.

“When Sandy Hook happened (in 2012), I think I was too young to realize that it was an issue and it was occuring more often,” Ellis said. “I acknowledged that it was happening, but I thought it was a rare occurrence. Recently, I’ve understood that it is a problem and it should be changed.”

Ellis believes that the laws against owning a gun should be stricter, within reason.

“Right now, if you want a gun to hunt or to protect yourself, then why should you be scared to go through background checks and tests?” Ellis said. “If people really want a gun, and if they don’t pass the qualifications, they obviously shouldn’t have one. You have to be mentally sane.”

Though senior Beau Barker’s father served in the Royal British Marines, which gave him exposure to guns, Barker didn’t feel the need to have one until he moved to the U.S. Now, he owns four.

“Being Australian, (having a gun) didn’t seem necessary because gun control works over there, even though we were raised with an understanding of guns,” said Barker, a business administration major. “I got one because it was a right offered to me, and I’d rather have one and never need it, than need it and not have it.”

Legislation should focus more on thorough background checks and less on weapon bans, and the push to ban assault rifles is based on uneducated assumptions, Barker said.

“We need to have more checks on the mental health of people, but the laws to comply to California standards don’t prevent someone from buying a compliant gun and killing people.”

To obtain his guns, Barker had to attend a gun laws and safety class and pass a certification. He also had to provide multiple forms of identification, proof of residency, criminal and mental health history, and undergo a background check, he said.

“I wouldn’t say that anyone can walk into a gun store and walk out with one. It’s more complicated than that,” Barker said.

California requires background checks to purchase firearms, but that doesn’t mean owning a gun is for everyone, Roth said

“I do sell guns, but I don’t think everyone should own a gun,” Roth said. You never really know how you’re going to feel until you’re actually there.”

Kali Hoffman contributed to this report.