Allison Plattsmier, a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, has been invited to the White House along with other students from across the country to discuss gun-reform policy. Photo courtesy of Allison Plattsmier.

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By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON — Allison Plattsmier's Southern upbringing allows her to see both sides of the gun-control debate.

"Growing up in the South, everybody is pro-guns, and that is just the way it has always been," she said. "Lots of people own guns. They are everywhere."

Because guns are a big part of the culture for so many people, Plattsmier recognizes they will never be banned, as some gun-control advocates would prefer. But there are things that can — and should — be done to make them safer, she said.

"I don't think assault rifles should be on the market," Plattsmier said. "I think we should limit the number of magazines. I think we should increase background checks at gun shows. I think there are many steps we could take that maybe we're not."

Plattsmier, who lives in Nashville and is a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, is taking her perspective on gun control to the White House. She's one of eight students from across the country invited to meet with senior White House officials on Oct. 7 to talk about gun-reform policy.

The message she hopes to deliver: Young Americans' opinions on guns should be heard and valued.

"I think a lot of times people think that because we're young, we're uneducated or we think we're entitled," she said. "I would really like to break that misconception."

Plattsmier, 22, was invited to take part in the White House event because of her work with dosomething.org, a non-profit that encourages young people to get involved in the social causes they're most passionate about.

The group's motto: "Any cause, anytime, anywhere."

The cause Plattsmier took up was "guns out," a campaign against efforts in several states to allow concealed weapons on college campuses.

In Tennessee, the state legislature passed a law earlier this year allowing full-time faculty, staff and other employees of the state's colleges and universities who have handgun-carry permits to bring their weapons to campus.

Plattsmier rallied 81 students in a social media campaign against the law. Students were asked to take a photo of themselves flexing their muscles and then post the image on Twitter with the message, "These are the only guns I want on my campus."

Plattsmier compiled the photos and sent them to Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos. She's also organizing a law-enforcement appreciation event that will give students a chance to meet campus police officers and formally recognize those officers with 20 years or more experience.

When she was involved in the "guns out" campaign, Plattsmier said, some people accused her of being against the Second Amendment, which she found ironic considering that members of her own family are gun owners.

But college students who grew up in the era of Columbine-style mass shootings have a different view of guns, what role they play in society and whether they should be controlled, she said.

Plattsmier can understand why Americans feel the need to be armed, given everything that's going on in the United States and the world. But people wouldn't feel the need to be armed if leaders dealt with the root causes of those problems, she said.

"It's easy to say: Let's just get rid of all the guns," Plattsmier said.

Reality is far more complex.

"We're not going to be able to take all of the guns off the streets," she said.

What we can do, she said, is make them safer.

Michael Collins is The Commercial Appeal's Washington correspondent. His weekly Tennessee in D.C. column highlights Volunteer State lawmakers, causes and connections. Contact him at 703-854-8927 or mcollins2@gannett.com.