A bill that would allow Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP) holders to carry firearms on Florida university campuses is making its way through legislation.
Licensed people at least 21 years of age could carry guns anywhere on campus # classrooms, dining halls and residence halls.
The bill, titled HB 4005, has been approved by the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, and will be making its way into the hands of the senate, where it is not expected to be well-received. While it is heavily supported by a number of people, the general public has responded with criticism.
Sarasota Republican Rep. Greg Steube began drafting the bill before the shooting at Florida State University this past November, when a gunman injured two students and a library employee. Widespread concern for campus safety surfaced following the event, however, bringing more attention to the bill.
Florida is one of 20 states banning guns on campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Seven states currently allow licensed concealed weapons, while the remaining few leave the decision up to individual universities.
USF St. Petersburg student Dani McMahan, junior, shared a link to a tampabay.com news story about the bill on the student-run Facebook group the USFSP Know It All’s Guide, prompting an extensive discussion among students. McMahan, having taken the course to obtain a concealed weapon license, does not think its completion makes a student responsible enough to protect others.
“I would feel more unsafe, honestly. I feel like it would be easier for someone to carry out a shooting because it may be easier to get on campus with a gun,” she said. “Also, how are police supposed to distinguish between the offender and another student?”
The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) represents campus police chiefs across the country and recently spoke out about the bill in clear disapproval. Almost 100 percent of university presidents and police chiefs oppose guns being on campus, agreeing with the IACLEA.
University Police Chief David Hendry weighed in on the bill in an interview with The Crow’s Nest, voicing several concerns # one being that guns on campus don’t add any value in terms of reducing crime, according to multiple recent studies. In fact, universities are incredibly safe, and crime rates are significantly lower than those of communities as a whole.
Chief Hendry also envisions a new burden that would be placed on law enforcement.
“We receive the call that there’s a man with a gun, and we arrive, and there are more people with guns than there are police,” he said. “It places us in the middle of trying to figure out who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy. In the moments of terror when there’s somebody on campus with a gun, it makes it very problematic to sort things out.”
Chief Hendry worries about the increased potential for accidental shootings and theft.
“If you have more guns on campus, the likelihood of accidental shootings increases by the mere fact that you have more weapons on campus,” he said.
Hendry wants people to understand that the proposed legislation does not draw many boundaries, in on-campus housing for instance. Besides locking doors, there is very little security within dorms, making it easier for somebody’s licensed gun to end up in another person’s hand.
On the other hand, some students are optimistic about the proposal. Supporters have suggested that if a lawfully armed citizen were present during the FSU shooting, he or she could have stopped the gunman before police came.
Acknowledging the right to protect oneself, Minh Bui, junior, agrees with the bill.
“I just don’t want people to think that if guns were on campus, that everybody would be brandishing their weapons and go on a big power trip,” he said. “Nobody should ever know you have a firearm on you. It’s the cardinal rule when you are a CWP holder.”
Police officers are extensively trained, qualified every year and prepared to react in violent situations. The USFSP university police services also receive additional assistance from St. Petersburg police when necessary. Despite this, some feel this isn’t always enough in life-or-death situations.
“I can see that if a situation ever arose where there was an active shooter, that there would be a [CWP] holder nearby if there wasn’t a police officer nearby,” said Bui. “If there was a officer nearby, CWP holders usually don’t get involved and let the police do their job.”
With attitudes being so polarized, it is difficult to predict the outcome. Chief Hendry recommends that students, faculty and community members express their opinions to Florida representatives.
“I just don’t see more guns on campus as a solution to the problem,” Hendry said.
Information gathered from tampabay.com and an interview with Chief of Police David Hendry.
