Bill would allow guns in locked cars on campus

UNC-system campuses have been gun-free zones for years.

But the N.C. General Assembly is now joining South Carolina, Texas and state legislatures around the country in a push to legalize guns on college campuses, despite opposition from higher education leaders and university faculty.

A Republican-sponsored bill in the legislature, which passed the House last week, would permit firearms in locked cars on public university campuses.

North Carolina and 21 other states currently ban concealed weapons on public college campuses.

Supporters of the bill, including legislators and gun rights lobbyists, say the legislation would give legal gun owners a right they should already have.

But UNC-system President Tom Ross, faculty and campus police chiefs have spoken out against the bill, citing concerns that guns in any capacity would pose risks for students and faculty.

Randy Young, spokesman for UNC’s Department of Public Safety, said it is rare at UNC for students or faculty to be charged with possession of a firearm, which he said is a felony.

Still, Young said frequent vehicle break-ins on campus, the presence of alcohol and drugs and the risk of domestic violence and suicide are all reasons to oppose looser gun restrictions.

Allowing guns would also compromise the ability of law enforcement agents to respond to a campus gun crime, he said.

“We’d have a hard time discerning between the suspect and others who take it upon themselves to respond, given multiple firearms present,” he said.

Kurt Mueller, a spokesman for national gun lobby Students for Concealed Carry, said allowing guns in cars would be convenient for students and faculty commuting to class, especially at night.

They wouldn’t have to leave guns at home when driving to campus and could protect themselves if necessary, he said.

“We are not trying to put firearms in the hands of everybody,” he said.

“These law-abiding adults should be able to carry concealed firearms while on campus under the same terms as they would anywhere else within the state.”

But Young said guns would also be a hazard because of the number of people on campus without experience handling firearms.

Peter Vogel, president of UNC Young Democrats, said he wouldn’t feel safe knowing there were legal guns on campus, even if the gun were in a locked car.

“I respect the rights of gun owners who think, by carrying weapons, they’ll make themselves safer,” he said. “But there’s a disconnect between an individual’s safety and the safety of their community.”

Andy Pelosi, director of the national Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus — which began after the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting — said North Carolina is one of the campaign’s main lobbying targets.

Pelosi said there are economic consequences of allowing guns on campus — concerned parents might choose to send their children to college in states with stricter gun control, for example, or faculty might look for a job elsewhere.

“Colleges and universities are safe places,” he said. “A lot of what happens, when it does happen, is off campus.”

A total of 369 universities across the country have signed onto the Keep Guns Off Campus campaign, including the UNC system.

North Carolina’s bill is currently in a Senate committee.

Young said even if the bill becomes law, he won’t know the impact of the policy until the University Counsel analyzes the issue and advises DPS on its implementation.

“It’s premature for us to speculate how it’s going to play out,” he said.

Vogel said the bill is likely to pass, given the widespread Republican support it has received.

But he said legalizing guns on campuses would not reflect the views of most state residents on gun control.

“Republicans in the legislature are out of step with constituents in North Carolina.”

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.