UA, ASU boards opt out of campus gun law
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ two largest university systems voted Thursday to ban faculty and staff from carrying concealed handguns on campus, joining a growing number of schools in the state opting out of a new law allowing the firearms.
The University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University system boards voted unanimously to opt out of the new law that leaves the decision on concealed weapons up to colleges and universities. Arkansas Tech University’s board also voted to keep the concealed weapons off its campuses in Russellville and Ozark.
At least nine other schools around the state have voted to opt out of the guns on campus law, which Gov. Mike Beebe signed into law in March.
ASU’s board voted to remain gun- free after the chancellors of its four campuses recommended the new law.
“I’m confident every member of the board has carefully considered this issue, and our chancellors conferred with the appropriate campus constituencies before recommending to opt out of the new state law,” Mike Gibson, the board’s chairman, said in a statement issued by the school. “The board will consider this issue on an annual basis moving forward,
system opt out of the but I believe that opting out is in the best interests of our campuses at this time.”
UA System President Donald Bobbitt also recommended its 11 campuses opt out of the gun law after consulting with law enforcement and campus leaders.
“I think one of the things that’s very compelling is that our campus law enforcement professionals say this is something that is not needed on campus and would not make campuses safer,” Bobbitt said.
Twenty- nine states allow concealed handguns on campus, but all but a handful leave the decision up to individual colleges and universities. Rep. Charlie Collins, the author of Arkansas’ guns on campus law, originally proposed requiring all public colleges and universities to allow concealed handguns but changed the proposal after facing opposition from campus officials from around the state.