Several states look to allow concealed weapons on campus

Nearly four years ago, Seung-Hui Cho pulled a trigger and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech University.

Last year, a student at Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City died after he was shot in his dorm.

And only months after a shooting in Arizona almost killed U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, many states are looking for a different way to end the violence — by loosening gun laws so people can defend themselves when the police can’t.

Legislatures in several states, including Tennessee, Michigan, Mississippi, Arkansas and Florida, are considering bills allowing concealed weapons on college campuses. Many of these states have Republican-controlled legislatures, but Democrat-controlled Colorado and West Virginia are considering similar bills.

“It’s been proven that gun-free zones don’t work,” said Tennessee Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville. “All it does is stop people from being able to defend themselves.”

But many universities are opposed to pending legislation, including the University of Tennessee system, said system spokesman Hank Dye.

“Campuses are different environments that foster different responses and different behavior from young people,” he said. “We have been very vocal and forthright in our opposition to all campus-related gun legislation in our General Assembly.”

Administrators and university law enforcement say the bill, which would allow faculty and staff with permits to carry firearms, would increase the propensity for violence and confuse situations for both police and bystanders, who might not know if the person with a gun was the victim or the shooter.

“How do I distinguish who’s friend and who’s foe?” said Steve Milne, captain of Utah State University’s police department.

Utah allows anyone with a concealed weapon permit to carry guns on public university campuses. Many people openly carry weapons on the Utah campus, Milne said.

“It causes more alarm,” he said about the law.

The department gets frequent calls from students about people with guns and they have to respond, though in most cases, the person accidentally allowed the weapon to become visible. People get nervous because they don’t know if the gunman is legal or potentially dangerous, he said.

Randy Young, spokesman for the UNC-CH department of public safety, said campus is not a place for the general community to bear arms.

“College campuses are known for a revolving sense of maturity and growth,” he said. “With those come a lot of scenarios and social situations where awareness is attenuated — firearms and alcohol do not mix.”

N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, said she would oppose any bill allowing guns on campuses in the General Assembly, citing concerns about gun violence and the training required.

While North Carolina does not have a bill for weapons on campus, the state is considering loosening gun laws for restaurants, parks and locked cars.

Law enforcement officials also expressed concern about civilian training with guns, even for permit holders, said Diane Brown, spokeswoman for University of Michigan’s department of public safety.

“This needs to be a place where people feel safe and don’t have to worry,” she said.

The University of Michigan, like UNC-CH, is a gun-free zone.

Olivia Bucaciuc, a junior nursing major at the University of Mississippi, said such a law is unnecessary but wouldn’t affect college life. Mississippi could be loosening gun laws this year, but the campus is gun-free now.

“I don’t think about how someone can legally have a gun in a grocery store, so I doubt I would think too much about someone legally carrying a gun in the student union,” she said.

But Utah Sen. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, said he would not feel safe if his daughter were unable to have a gun on her college campus.

“I worked in law enforcement for 12 years as a police officer,” he said. “Nobody knows better than me that when seconds count, police are minutes away.”

Contact the State & National Editor at state@dailytarheel.com.