Packing for school

COEUR d'ALENE - The old saying, "If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns," rings true for North Idaho College student Chad Carroll.

Carroll, 38, supports House Bill 222, proposed legislation that would prohibit Idaho colleges and universities from banning guns on their campuses, except in undergraduate dormitories.

"In the event that a person with malicious intent comes into my classroom with a gun, I'd feel better if I were sitting next to a responsibly armed citizen with a concealed weapons permit," Carroll said. "People will break laws. That leaves the average citizen unprotected."

Idaho House members approved the guns-on-campus legislation by a vote of 41-28 last week, despite opposition from the State Board of Education, higher education administrators and law enforcement officials.

It's part of a growing movement to reduce firearms possession restrictions on college campuses. Texas lawmakers have been working on similar legislation.

The Idaho bill is headed for consideration Friday by the Senate State Affairs Committee.

Melissa Miller, another North Idaho College student, doesn't think guns are a good idea anywhere, including college campuses.

"People get mad and do dumb things," said Miller, 20.

Lawmakers who are supportive of the Idaho bill contend that regulation of firearms possession by universities and colleges conflicts with the state constitution.

"Article I, Section 11 of the Idaho Constitution provides that only the Legislature can govern the carrying of concealed weapons," said Idaho Sen. Steve Vick.

The Dalton Gardens Republican urged readers of his Facebook page to contact Gov. Butch Otter "to support our Second Amendment rights."

Supporters of the measure also assert that individuals bearing weapons can help quickly counter violent crime on campus.

"The only thing that stops a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun. The lesson we have learned as a society is that when bad things happen, time is of the essence," said Andrew Arulanandam, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association, based in Fairfax, Va. "We saw that in Virginia Tech. We saw that in the Tucson shooting."

There are roughly 30,000 NRA members in Idaho.

Arulanandam said concerns about 18-year-olds running around on campuses with concealed weapons are unfounded because a person must be 21 to purchase a handgun.

There are roughly 71,000 active concealed weapons permits in Idaho, with 5,608 of those permits issued in Kootenai County.

The concealed weapons statute allows sheriffs, under certain circumstances, to issue permits to people between the ages of 18 and 20. None of the permits in Kootenai County have been issued to anyone younger than 21.

While the proposed legislation does not address carrying weapons that are not concealed, the Idaho Constitution allows guns to be openly carried.

Without authority to forbid guns on campus, college officials would have to allow weapons to be openly carried anywhere on campus except in undergraduate student housing.

Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo said that while his department supports the constitution and the Second Amendment, "There are serious questions and situations to consider."

Longo's greatest concern is that those who might choose to carry weapons onto campuses would likely not have law enforcement or advanced firearms training.

Police and other law enforcement officers deal with active shooting scenarios, Longo said, and realize that they are held to a high standard should they have to use deadly force to protect others.

"In a crowded classroom or student union building environment, if multiple people have their weapons out and are firing, who is the good guy and who is the suspect?" Longo said.

Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem sent a letter Monday to members of Idaho's Senate State Affairs Committee asking them to oppose or table House Bill 222.

"Idaho's colleges and universities have had a successful-and relatively peaceful-history," Bloem wrote. "That is due in no small part, I believe, to the ability of these institutions to regulate firearms on campus."

Linda Michal, dean of students at NIC, along with other NIC administrators, strongly opposes the measure. They forwarded their written concerns to the Senate committee also.

"We're seeing, as our culture is on a whole, more students with mental health issues, addictions, and more people dealing with economic stress. To throw guns into the mix of all that creates a potentially volatile situation," Michal said. "I don't know that having a lot of people having guns is going to make anyone safer."

NIC Trustees will consider a motion formally opposing House Bill 222 at their board meeting tonight on the NIC campus.

The draft resolution contends that the legislation "erodes local control."

The document raises concerns about liability issues, and the cost of providing insurance coverage for NIC's security personnel who now carry tasers, not firearms.

"Imagine a classroom full of students getting ready to learn when a student pulls out his notebook, pen, and a gun," states the resolution. "This is not a safe learning environment which is crucial to successful education."