Forty professors from Kansas State University say in a letter to lawmakers that higher education institutions should be able to decide if guns are allowed on their campuses. Universities and colleges currently have an exemption from state law allowing the schools to ban guns, but that will expire in 2017.
“We certainly want people, the Legislature in particular -that’s why we addressed it to them- to recognize we are strongly against having guns on campus,” says physics professor Chris Sorensen.
The letter argues guns on campus would make K-State less safe and make it harder to recruit and retain staff and students. Sorensen says guns on campus will mean a risk of accidental shootings.
“There are times when all of us, at some time or another, aren’t particularly responsible. I don’t want the human beings with those frailties to be in possession of weapons on the campus,” Sorensen says.
Moriah Day, with Kansas Young Republicans, says a policy barring guns won’t stop someone determined to bring a gun on campus.
“Individuals that don’t care about breaking the law aren’t going to have any problem disregarding that sign. So the sign really does nothing to prevent unlawful carry on campus,” Day says.
Day says Kansans have rights to carry a firearm to defend themselves, and he says those rights should extend to campus.
Beginning in 2017, firearms can only be barred in university buildings that have security measures like metal detectors.
