By Naomi Hofferber
A bill in the Iowa Senate would allow individuals with permits to carry weapons on public university campuses.
The proposed bill, SF 256, would bar public universities and the state Board of Regents “from adopting or enforcing any policy or rule that prohibits a person with a valid permit to carry weapons from carrying, transporting, or possessing a dangerous weapon in the buildings or on the grounds of such a college or university.”
The bill was introduced by Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, and went to subcommittee Feb. 20.
University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld responded to the bill in a statement to The Daily Iowan.
“We just marked the 25th anniversary of a tragedy on our campus that took the lives of [five] members of our community,” he said in the statement. “The loss was devastating, and for many, the memory of that day is fresh and the fear is real. I believe this is a decision best made locally by those closest to the campus community.”
The bill would override the power of the regents to determine whether individuals with a valid permit could carry or possess weapons on campus.
“The Board of Regents believes that it should retain the statutory control that it currently has,” said Josh Lehman, the senior communications director for the regents in an email to the DI.
James Kennedy and Austin Collins, the president and vice president of the UI 2nd Amendment Law Group, follow national trends across issues, legality of the bill, and what it would change on campus. The group is a nonpartisan organization, and individuals’ opinions on the matter are independent of organization, Kennedy said.
“The right to protect yourself with firearms in your home and on your person bearing them is something that is guaranteed, but there are some restrictions that states can willingly put on,” Kennedy said. “The classic argument on both sides would be that the risk as it stands right now, if firearms are not allowed on campus, if someone is attacked or something like that, if they are unable to protect themselves and they are harmed, the entity that is prohibiting that level of protection may very well in some ways be held responsible for that as they are depriving that right, that ability to protect themselves.”
Kennedy said that conversely, individuals could willingly abuse the right to defend themselves.
“If granting that freedom, there are instances where it can be abused, but then again, this a freedom that people are guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States,” Kennedy said.
The U.S. Supreme Court has not given any ruling regarding banning or allowing weapons on public campuses.
“One important thing to clarify with campus carry is that you still need a permit to carry, you’re still not allowed to carry a concealed handgun anywhere in Iowa without the permit to do so,” Collins said. “This isn’t going to allow anyone who doesn’t have a permit to carry a weapon on campus.”
Under Iowa law, to get a concealed carry permit, individuals must be at least 21, pass a background check, and take a concealed-carry class before getting a permit from a sheriff.
Kennedy said the idea that suddenly things change when moving from off-campus to on-campus is something he has not seen a lot of justification for.
“What sort of force field does one pass through where one’s thoughts, opinions, and behaviors will change going through there?” he said. “Generally, due to a lot of the requirements that there already is to get these carry permits on campus, any people that should not be carrying are usually weeded out really early.”
