Debate continues over campus gun rights

By Anne Halliwell

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The April 1 robbery on campus caused one student organization to question the university’s gun policy, but UK stands by its decision to prohibit deadly weapons on campus.

“Our public safety officials have long considered this a safety issue and believe that this policy should be maintained,” wrote UK spokesman Jay Blanton in an email to the Kernel.

According to UK regulation, updated June 19, 2012, the Kentucky General Assembly has recognized the university’s right to prohibit possession of deadly weapons on university property.

The university forbids students to carry weapons on school property except for use in academic or athletic exercises like rifle team, although members of law enforcement are not affected and neither is a student’s right to keep a weapon inside his or her vehicle.

UK Students for Concealed Carry is trying to change state law so that public universities cannot prohibit licensed students from carrying a concealed weapon.

Political science senior Tyler Waide, director of UK Students for Concealed Carry, said that the recent armed robbery has made some students concerned about personal safety.

“I’ve seen a lot of people in my circle say, ‘This is an example of how bad guys do not stop at campus property,’” Waide said. “There’s a false sense of security.”

Blanton wrote that having more guns on campus would add an element of uncertainty for UK police officers.

“You throw in dynamics like alcohol and you create a less safe environment for our students and our campus,” Blanton wrote.

Waide argued that allowing students with permits to carry concealed weapons would allow them to protect themselves against threats when law enforcement was not present.

“UK’s campus is not an enclave of peace and prosperity,” Waide said. “It’s dangerous like anywhere else.”