“Carry On Campus” makes it’s way into new LegislatureSubmitted by Hunter Ligon on Saturday, 24 January 2009
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We reported back in November about a movement dubbed “Carry on Campus” that has been growing among local politicians. It didn’t make it into law during the last legislature, but some are looking for a come-back.
Introducing House Bill 1083, where if enacted would allow anyone who holds a concealed handgun permit and completes certification training given by the Council on Law Enforcement and Training (CLEET) to be allowed to carry concealed weapons at public colleges. The new bill as it stands appears to exempt faculty from the CLEET training requirement.
State Rep. Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie), and others have argued such a law would make public colleges safer here in light of the recent shooting tragedies at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech. As a result, the Oklahoma Rifle Association gave Murphey its 2008 Legislator of the Year award for “his continued support of the 2nd Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms.”
A student organization, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, now lobbies in favor of the issue. The National Rifle Association supports carry on campus measures.
Critics of the bill worry of accidental shootings among students, and say that some professors may not come to Oklahoma if the measure was passed.
