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Student government concerned about concealed carry on campus

Guns on campus conceal carry handgun firearm

Members of the student government are protesting a Tennessee bill that would allow people to carry guns onto the University of Memphis campus.

The SGA will hold a senate meeting 7:30 p.m. tonight to debate whether they agree or disagree with the proposed bill.

The bill, which is working it’s way through the state legislator, would allow employees of any Tennessee college or university, who have a handgun permit, to bring a concealed firearm on property owned by that school.

Presently, it is illegal for any person to carry a gun on a Tennessee public college and university campus.

“We had concerns about the issue and its effect on student experience, so we decided to bring it to senate,†student president David Knowles said in an email. “We have not yet been able to discuss the bill in senate, but are looking forward to discussing and getting feedback from students.â€

Student government does not have the power to stop U of M employees from carrying concealed weapons on campus.

Two members of student senate, Kenny Faulk and Brijesh Kumar, have proposed a student bill that would serve as a protest against the state government’s bill.

Many students believe that the passing of such legislation would pose “a greater threat to studentsâ€, and the only people that could handle active threats are campus police, according to the bill written by Faulk.

During a senate meeting at the university in February, Bruce Harber, chief of police and assistant vice president for administration, fielded questions from students about the school’s protocol in the instance of an active shooter and the school’s views on the passing of the bill in Texas.

“Our officers go through training every year if there is ever an active shooter on campus,†he said during the meeting. “We want any weapon on campus to be in the hands of people who were trained to use them.â€

Knowles, who was at that meeting, agrees with the chief of police.

“Police officers go through rigorous training to handle a firearm and a situation that would permit the use of the weapon,†Knowles said. “While a person who has a carry permit has learned how to use the weapon, we have police officers that I trust more to handle situations in which a gun is needed.â€

Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprising over 44,000 college students, professors, college employees, parents of college students and concerned citizens who believe that holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses.

Stuart Dedmon, the Tennessee state director of the student group and a student at the U of M, said that the organization “does not advocate that an armed student or staff should handle an active threat.â€

However, he said that students and non-students that have a carry permits and carry concealed weapons are not threat to college campuses.

“In the states allowing permit holders to conceal on campus, it has become a non-event,†Dedmon said. “There are no statistics that suggest this claim to be true, and one could suggest that this is not true seeing as the states that allow permit holders to conceal on campus have not had any major issues.â€

Dedmon agreed, when asked about student president comments that it is the duty of campus police to neutralize an active threat.

“Campus carry is not about public safety, but rather personal safety,†Dedmon said, citing examples such as walking to a car or apartment after a night class.

“Neutralizing an active threat is the job of law enforcement, and any attempt by an individual to actively pursue and neutralize a threat would hinder the ability of law enforcement from quickly taking control of the situation.â€

With the rise of shootings on college campuses, state legislations have debated whether to allow students and non-students to carry concealed weapons with a carry permit.

Nine states allow guns on campus, with Texas the most recent to allow concealed carry in 2015.

The Tennessee Senate approved a bill last week that would allow Tennessee public college and university students and employees to legally keep weapons in the vehicles. The House voted 69-17 in favor of the bill.


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