On Tuesday, Kansas lawmakers will discuss a bill that requires recognition of out-of-state concealed carry permits.
It’s expected to re-ignite the debate to keep guns out of Kansas publicly funded hospitals and universities. Under the current concealed carry bill, state-run schools and teaching hospitals will not be able to ban guns after July 1.
That’s alarming to many researchers, doctors and professors in the sunflower state.
“We know in the outside world that we have a death per firearms rate that winds up killing 33,000 people per year. On campuses that excluded firearms it’s 1/200th of that. We currently have no problem on state campuses across the state. Why make a problem where there is no problem,” asked University of Kansas professor and researcher Ron Barrett-Gonzalez.
Barrett-Gonzalez is helping lead the way for aerospace technology and research in our area, but maybe not for long. He is worried about the risk of having guns in their workspace, which contains items like butane, propane and jet fuel.
“If we have laws that would force us to accommodate people that aren't trained to handle weapons in our labs, the danger becomes too high,” said Barrett-Gonzalez.
They are worried allowing guns in their labs and classrooms will lead to someone being shot or dangerous materials they work with causing severe damage.
“If there ever was an accident to occur, and we had a single shot through our flammables cabinets, it wouldn't simply be a bad event. It would take out a chunk of our building,” explained Barrett-Gonzalez.
He said already the university is losing highly-trained researchers and when they leave, their entire working career goes with them.
He also said these are some of the highest tech-based jobs in the area that actually create other jobs.
Barrett-Gonzalez’s biggest hope is that lawmakers will find a way to better protect publicly funded hospitals and universities and other state operated buildings.
If the bill does not change, in order for universities and hospitals to ban concealed carry, they would have to have metal detectors and security guards at every building. Many schools have complained they do not have the budget for this.
