A House committee has passed a bill that would allow concealed guns on college campuses.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the House Emerging Issues Committee passed the bill with an 8-3 vote Wednesday, winning unanimous support from Republicans.
The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jered Taylor, would repeal the current guns-on-campus ban and replace it with language allowing people with concealed weapon permits to have firearms on campus. The bill includes some restrictions.
Taylor says guns wouldn't be allowed in residence halls, classrooms educating preschool, elementary or high school students or in laboratories where an accidental discharge could ignite volatile chemicals. He adds that students who would want their weapons with them at school could opt-out of any requirement that they live in a dormitory.