ID:Campus Carry Coming

Gun Watch ^ | 22 February, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

On Tuesday, February 18, the Idaho Senate voted to reform current law to allow those with concealed carry permits to carry their defensive firearms on public campuses.   The bill is SB 1254, and has some interesting exceptions:

"the exception of carrying within student dormitories and residence halls, and within public entertainment facilities, as defined."

I suppose that this is the sort of compromise that was required to obtain the strong legislative majorities that the bill has attracted.  It passed the Senate by a 25-10 majority, and is expected to pass the house, where a similar reform measure was passed in 2011.  From AP, bill sponsor Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, is quoted:

  "It's the Legislature saying you have a constitutional right and you don't lose that right when you step onto a publicly held universality," McKenzie said.

The law also grants immunity from lawsuit to colleges and universities for actions arising from allowing legal possession and storage of firearms on campus.

Senator Jim Rice, R-Caldwell had a memorable quote about the purpose of government:

"We sometimes think our duty is to make everyone safe," Rice said. "It's to preserve liberty. It's not to make a society that's absolutely safe."

The bill seems likely to pass and to be signed into law.  Governor "Butch" Otter has said that he will sign it.

Several other states now allow the carry of weapons on campus, with various restrictions.   No ill effects have been noticed, and it is likely that the trend will continue. 

One wonders at the effect on other bizarre university policies.  Only a dozen years ago, it was illegal for my daughter, attending Texas A&M, to possess a pocket knife.    The proposed Idaho law appears to apply only to firearms.

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Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

The idea that university campuses were places where the univerisity administration had "In loco parentis" powers died with a number of court decisions. It only lasted for about a hundred years. The idea that universities have more power to limit rights than other parts of the state should have died with it.

[lcms rev]

For as good as this bill sounds, what possessed them to add the “residence hall” exception? If a student lives on campus and has a CCW, how are they supposed to get their concealed firearm out of their room to go to classes? Or is this bill only going to apply to commuters and not to those living on campus?

Admittedly, this would only affect students who are 21 or older and can legally possess a handgun, but there are plenty of over-21 students who live on campus while in college.

I suppose the preferred work-around would be to keep the gun in your car and have to pick it up when you go to class and return it when you return to your room. But I don’t know if I’d want to do that on a regular basis if it were me.

[marktwain]

It is hard to be sure. It is the current version, and it still has to go through the house and be signed into law. This is an exception, so it may be modified before it becomes law. The same thought occurred to me. I would certainly take this over nothing.

They do give universities and colleges immunity if they allow possession, so there is an incentive to allow possession in residences...