If passed into law, a new proposed bill in the Nevada State Legislature would allow college students to carry guns on campus.

AB-148, the bill that is being proposed, “would allow any person with a concealed carry firearm permit to possess a firearm while on the property of the Nevada System of Higher Education, a private or public school or a child care facility,” said Chuck Price, executive board chair at University of Nevada-Reno, in an email.

If passed, the bill would invalidate the current Nevada System of Higher Education policy in place, which makes it a requirement for any person that does have a concealed carry permit to first obtain approval by the institution before they carry a weapon at that institution, Price said.

The proposed bill is being sponsored by Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore and supporters of the bill and pro-gun advocates want to see it passed to combat other threats and crime on campuses, such as sexual assault, according to a March 26 USA Today article.

Fiore’s office did not respond to requests seeking comment.

Potentially higher suicide rates due to ease of access to weapons and misunderstanding of common forms of sexual assault are part of the opposition to the passage of the bill, according to the USA Today article.

There are many concerns that community members have regarding AB-148, and some include the lack of necessary presidential approval. In addition, they worry that campus security would not have knowledge as to who was carrying a weapon on campus, according to the USA Today article.

The University of Nevada-Reno conducted a survey of faculty regarding the proposed bill, and the results showed that an overwhelming majority of university faculty was against AB-148. The survey revealed that 85.21 percent of the 987 responses were opposed to the passage of the bill, Price said.

Following the survey, the Faculty Senate at the University of Nevada-Reno passed a resolution saying that the represented faculty “opposes any legislation that would ease current restrictions regarding weapons on the University of Nevada, Reno properties. We are deeply concerned that increasing the availability of weapons will have a chilling effect on an academic environment that promotes knowledge acquisition and the free exchange of ideas.”

The resolution passed also states that the Faculty Senate, which serves as the representative body of faculty at the university, supports the current policy in place by the Board of Regents that allows weapons on campus “only under limited and appropriate circumstances.”

One of the main concerns that the University of Nevada-Reno faculty had with the proposed bill was the allowance of weapons on centers for child-care and education on campus, and the school is home to many K–12 grade student facilities that are “gun-free zones” protected under federal law.

University of Nevada-Las Vegas President Len Jessup also voiced his disapproval of AB-148, saying that “UNLV joins an overwhelming number of university administrators, faculty, campus law enforcement and students across Nevada — those on our campuses every day — who oppose legislation that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses,” according to a March 26 Las-Vegas Review Journal article.

This statement came following rallies and backlash from student groups against the administration and the student government for not following the example of other Nevada schools in taking a stand on the issue of the proposed bill, according to the Review Journal article.

Published on April 1, 2015 at 8:00 pm

Contact Erin: eemcdona@syr.edu