Molly Ivins, the late columnist, essayist and political commentator, once wrote a column on the subject of gun control, using her marvelous humor to make her point.

“I’m not anti-gun,” she quipped. “I’m pro-knife.”

As the debate over whether the Mississippi School for Math and Science should be relocated to the Mississippi State campus or remain on the Mississippi University for Women campus, its home since inception, we have been pretty clear in stating that we believe MUW continues to be the best location for the school.

The Dispatch considers both Columbus and Starkville as our home, so to us it’s more a sibling rivalry than an “us vs. them” conflict. From our perspective, it’s an “us vs. us” debate.

To paraphrase Ivins, on this issue, we are not anti-MSU. We’re pro-MUW.

If the legislature decides to move MSMS to MSU, we have no doubt it would be in capable hands.

We would consider Mississippi State a perfectly suitable home.

For a residential high school that stresses STEM, MSU, with its wealth of programs and research in those fields, would be an obvious fit.

Yet we are confident a smaller, more secure campus is the better fit for the high school juniors and seniors living away from home for the first time.

We suspect that was part of the equation when MUW was selected as the host campus in 1987.

Since the first MSMS students began classes in 1988, MUW has proven to be a good host. Suggesting that MSMS would be better off at MSU is an idea that has emerged only recently, probably as part of a bigger discussion about MUW’s future. Moving MSMS may be the first domino to fall.

In the simplest of terms, while the school would likely succeed at either location, MSMS means far more to Columbus and MUW than it could ever mean to Starkville and Mississippi State.

The relationships between MSMS, MUW and Columbus have been built and nurtured over 36 years. MUW has proven to be a safe, nurturing environment for the high school students while the impact of those students is felt at MUW and in the broader community.

MSMS students mentor the city’s school children and the school holds educational events for those children. MSMS has aided the city’s understanding of its history through the nationally-acclaimed productions Eighth of May Emancipation Celebration and Tales from the Crypt, the latter becoming a tourist attraction in its own right.

MSMS is a big fish in a relatively small pond. At MSU, the school would be a minnow, unlikely to impact the university and the city of Starkville nearly as much as it has MUW and Columbus.

MSU and Starkville don’t need MSMS. Both are doing just fine.

We believe Columbus and MUW would be harmed by the school’s relocation.

On this topic, we are not anti-MSU and Starkville. We are pro-MUW and Columbus.

We will happily go on record saying MSU would be a great second choice.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.