Kansas's controversial new gun law will go into this week, making it legal to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Many Kansas college campus buildings don't have adequate security measures. That's why on July 1, a concealed carry ban will be no more. If you're over 21, you can carry concealed on your campus.
Kansas colleges had four years to put in metal detectors and employ security guards at every building in order to keep concealed guns off campus.
That would cost tens of millions at a campus like the University of Kansas. Needless to say, the university didn't spend the money, so concealed carry is now a reality at just about every building.
The exceptions are Allen Fieldhouse and Memorial Stadium on game days, where there will be adequate security measures. In other words, KU Athletics facilities where attendance is more than 5,000 people.
"They had a four-year period of time to implement stepped-up security to keep people safe on our public universities, and those universities that chose not to bring in additional security to keep students and faculty safe, they were opening the door to campus carry," NRA Spokesperson Catherine Mortenson said.
Mortenson said the law is intended to make sure law-abiding citizens can protect and defend themselves no matter where they are.
According to a campus survey, 82 percent of faculty and students don't want it.
Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, an aerospace engineering professor, explained that many professors care about their students like their own children. He says he's afraid the campus will be at the mercy of someone with a gun who is untrained or mentally unstable.
"A lot of the faculty members see this like, 'oh my god, there's a threat to my children.' This is the gut-level response that freaks a lot of faculty out, and we want nothing to do with it," Barrett-Gonzalez said.
Mortenson says we haven't seen any "wild wild west scenarios depicted by gun control advocates." She goes on to say, "Concealed carry permit holders across the country are more law-abiding than the average citizen."
Barrett-Gonzalez has another main concern — the many labs on campus that hold dangerous chemicals.
"We've got one part of the building that has 47,000 gallons of alcohol and formaldehyde. Who knows what a gunshot would do in there. You would think the administration would come by and say, this is a place where guns should not be allowed, let's put a no-gun sticker on the lab. They haven't done that with hardly any of the labs across campus," Barrett-Gonzalez said.
Some students say the law doesn't make them feel safe.
"No, of course, it doesn't. To know that legally somebody can be carrying a weapon, especially as a woman on campus," Junior Rebecca Lodos said.
A permit or training is not required to carry concealed in Kansas.
"I guess there's no real way to know who's abiding the law, because I know there's not a whole lot stopping people from getting guns," Sophomore transfer Sean Stattelman said.
This law comes with criteria, approved by the Board of Regents:
- The gun must be concealed
- The holster must cover the trigger
- The gun must be with the person at all times
- If the gun is carried in a backpack or purse, the person must be carrying it
- If the gun is stored in a vehicle, it must be locked and the gun must be out of sight
- The safety must be on
- The chamber must be empty, meaning containing no rounds
- You must lawfully be able to carry a gun
- You must be 21 and up
- You can't be inebriated or under the influence of drugs
See additional policy criteria here.
Kansas now joins nine other states that have implemented concealed carry laws on public college campuses.
The topic has been hotly debated, even leading to some college professors resigning in light of the impending law.
"We respect those people who choose not to carry a firearm, we simply ask that they respect the rights of those who do want to carry a firearm for self-protection," Mortenson said.
