Our View

Our View

Guns? Yes. Guns on campus? Maybe not.

Since 2013 Arkansas has had a law giving university and community college systems the option of allowing qualified and licensed faculty members to carry concealed handguns.

Since then, every institution has opted against allowing concealed carry based on a number of reasons from some law enforcement officials opposing it to the argument that it would create confusion during active-shooter situations involving “a good guy with a gun.”

Now then, there is a House Bill working its way through the legislative process that would remove the current state-law option for public colleges and universities to enact policies prohibiting concealed carry on campuses.

If this bill, sponsored by Rep. Charlie Collins, RFayetteville, does happen to become law, at the opposition of university and college administrators, it would allow faculty members with Arkansas concealed-carry licenses to carry on most campus grounds.

While we’re strong advocates of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution removing this option may only cause sharp resistance from these liberal administrators who will undoubtedly make the lives of those faculty members wanting to conceal carry very unpleasant.

We say that in light of the circus-like atmosphere these anti-gun advocates created recently during House committee on this issue.

Collins is of the opinion, based on studies, that colleges attract mass shooters because of the lack of gun carriers. The crowd of opponents that gathered to express their opinions included some law enforcement officials, students, parents as well as some faculty members.

Even UofA’s top cop, Steve Gahagans, who opposed the bill said, “When you bring more guns to the table you have to understand you bring more risk.”

To that argument we’d like to pose the question to this lawman as to what his response time would be to a scene of an active shooter in a particular area of the campus. Plus, we’d like to know from this cop just how many innocent students or faculty members would fall victim to this active shooter before he or his officers could reach the scene? Then, we’d like to ask his opinion as to a concealed carry faculty member being at the scene and able to take down the active shooter and preventing multiple fatalities before law enforcement officers could arrive on the scene.

Gahagans, who says he has years of active shooter training and SWAT team experience, said campus police do not need or want the added risk of having concealed carry faculty walking around armed. Well, to that we’d like to ask this “experienced” cop about the additional risk to the faculty and students for not having this added layer of protection.

As Gahagans knows, the majority of all mass campus shootings that have occurred in the United States over the years law enforcement response has failed to prevent multiple casualties due to the lag time between when the shootings begin and when law enforcement arrives one the scene.

With all this said and because we are of the belief colleges and universities should have the option of deciding whether or not to allow concealed carry faculty, Collins bill appears to be headed down a dead-end road.