Northern Michigan University will host a gun control debate at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, in 1100 Jamrich Hall. The debate will include two participants: former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rubin, who is now an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University; and John Lott Jr., Fox News columnist and president of the newly formed Crime Prevention Research Center. The event is free for NMU students and $2 for the general public.

Rubin is an expert on foreign policy and national security. He has held roles in government, advocacy and in both chambers of Congress. Rubin served at senior levels at the State Department and also ran for Congress in 2016 in the historic Maryland-8 Democratic primary. Prior to his Congressional run, he directed the State Department’s work with the U.S. House of Representatives as deputy assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs.

Lott’s opinion pieces have appeared in “The New York Times,” “Wall Street Journal” and other major publications. He is the author of eight books, including “More Guns, Less Crime” and “Dumbing Down the Courts: How Politics Keeps the Smartest Judges Off the Bench.” Lott holds a doctorate in economics from UCLA. He has published more than 100 articles in academic journals and has held research and teaching positions at the University of Chicago, Yale University, Stanford, UCLA, Wharton and Rice.

NMU Platform Personalities and the Student Activite Fee are sponsoring the debate. Political Science Professor Steven Nelson will serve as moderator.