More than 13 percent of student senators surveyed said they are against faculty being allowed to carry a concealed gun, and 13 percent said they were in favor. Most senators, 43 percent, said they were either not sure or wanted to survey the student body.Thirty percent refused to answer the question. The survey received responses from 30 of the 38 elected senators.
The newly elected student government officers will tackle the “Guns on Campus†bill, which is working it’s way through Tennessee legislature.
Tennessee lawmakers are voting on a bill that would allow university employees to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. Currently, it is illegal to bring a gun onto the University of Memphis campus.
Jared Moses, president elect of the University of Memphis student government, plans to reach out to the students on opinions of the guns bill.
If passed, the bill will allow full-time faculty and staff to carry a concealed gun on campus if they also have a state issued permit.
“We want to know how students feel about it and how the state will vote on it,†Moses said.
Moses would not say exactly how he felt about the bill. He said he would follow the will of the students.
“I know it seems like I’m the middle, but I still haven’t heard about how the students feel about it,†Moses said.
University administrators, however, have not been shy about their views.
M. David Rudd, president of the U of M, and Bruce Harbor, campus chief of police, said in an email, “More weapons on campus may result in more frequent emergency alerts … which will disrupt our academic mission and adversely impact student success.â€
Most of the newly elected student government senators are not sure about how they feel about concealed guns on campus, according to a survey conducted by The Daily Helmsman.
More than 13 percent of student senators surveyed said they are against faculty being allowed to carry a concealed gun, and 13 percent said they were in favor.
Most senators, 43 percent, said they were either not sure or wanted to survey the student body.
Thirty percent refused to answer the question. The survey received responses from 30 of the 38 elected senators.
Natalie Moore, vice president elect of student government and former senator, said many in the student government are still trying to find an answer to this question.
“A lot of senators feel like they don’t know enough about it,†she said.
Some in the previous student senate tried to pass a protest bill to Tennessee’s “Guns on Campus†bill, but it was not able to gain enough votes.
Moore said the new student government would talk to students and do more research before they bring another bill like that up.
But in the end, the decision to allow guns on campus is out of the hands of U of M students and faculty.
“All we can do is make a recommendation; we can’t change the law,†Moore said. “But we will let the state know how we feel.â€
