San Francisco
voters approve military recruiting bans

San Francisco approved ballot measures to ban handguns in San Francisco and urge the city's public high schools and college campuses to keep out military recruiters. The military recruitment initiative won with 60% in favor and 40% against. Measure I, dubbed "College Not Combat," opposes the presence of military recruiters at public high schools and colleges. However, it would not bar the armed forces from seeking enlistees at city campuses, since that would put schools at risk of losing federal funding. Instead, Measure I encourages city officials and university administrators to exclude recruiters and create scholarships and training programs that would reduce the military's appeal to young adults. "We now have the moral weight of the city behind us, and it's definitely a valuable asset to have in our corner," said Bob Matthews, a College Not Combat activist, adding that the victory would help put pressure on the government to someday institute an actual ban on campus military recruiting.