Murphey Bill Would Allow Campus Concealed Carry
By Mick Hinton, Tulsa World ~ A bill that would allow some college students to carry concealed weapons on campus is headed for the House floor.
House Bill 2513 by Rep. Jason Murphey (pictured), R-Guthrie, was approved 14-2 by the House Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
The bill would allow students to carry firearms on campus if they are at least 21 and are licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
"As long as students kept their weapons concealed, they could go into class with them," Murphey said. He said he decided that the bill was needed after the Feb. 14 shootings that left six dead, including the gunman, at Northern Illinois University and an attack in April at Virginia Tech in which a gunman killed 32 people.
Murphey said the bill, which would apply only to public colleges and universities, would allow students to defend themselves, especially if they were being victimized by someone. But the greater value of such a law would be that a potential shooter might be hesitant to come onto a college campus, he said. "A gunman would not know who might be trained and could defend themselves," Murphey said.
"If you can walk down Main Street with a concealed weapon, you should be able to walk onto a college campus with one," he said. Murphey will discuss his bill on the National Rifle Association's "Cam and Company" show tomorrow night at 8:20 p.m. The show can be seen and heard at www.nranews.com and on Sirius Satellite Radio Patriot Channel 144.
Rep. Paul Roan, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper for 25 years, voted against the bill, saying such a law could greatly hinder law enforcement.
"You wouldn't know who the players are," he said. Because weapons now are banned, he said, police can tell if someone comes onto campus "with a gun for evil purposes."
Roan, D-Tishomingo, said the amount of training to qualify for a concealed weapon permit is minimal. Those who are granted licenses have to take eight hours of training that includes classes and practice at a firing range. Roan said the bill would mean that a person who practiced with a simple kind of gun at a range could come onto campus armed with a high-powered weapon.
Murphey's original bill, requested by a constituent, would have changed the law so that a person could transport a rifle, shotgun or pistol "open and loaded" in a vehicle at any time. He said the bill would have been patterned after the "Texas Travel" law, which provides that Texans can have loaded weapons in their vehicles. Murphey said the committee did not like that version of the bill, so he decided to scratch that language and insert the new proposal regarding guns on college campuses.
Oklahoma State University spokesman Gary Shutt said OSU is tracking the bill. Noting that students are not allowed to have guns on campus, Shutt said police still are evaluating the proposal.
House Bill 2513 by Rep. Jason Murphey (pictured), R-Guthrie, was approved 14-2 by the House Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
The bill would allow students to carry firearms on campus if they are at least 21 and are licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
"As long as students kept their weapons concealed, they could go into class with them," Murphey said. He said he decided that the bill was needed after the Feb. 14 shootings that left six dead, including the gunman, at Northern Illinois University and an attack in April at Virginia Tech in which a gunman killed 32 people.
Murphey said the bill, which would apply only to public colleges and universities, would allow students to defend themselves, especially if they were being victimized by someone. But the greater value of such a law would be that a potential shooter might be hesitant to come onto a college campus, he said. "A gunman would not know who might be trained and could defend themselves," Murphey said.
"If you can walk down Main Street with a concealed weapon, you should be able to walk onto a college campus with one," he said. Murphey will discuss his bill on the National Rifle Association's "Cam and Company" show tomorrow night at 8:20 p.m. The show can be seen and heard at www.nranews.com and on Sirius Satellite Radio Patriot Channel 144.
Rep. Paul Roan, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper for 25 years, voted against the bill, saying such a law could greatly hinder law enforcement.
"You wouldn't know who the players are," he said. Because weapons now are banned, he said, police can tell if someone comes onto campus "with a gun for evil purposes."
Roan, D-Tishomingo, said the amount of training to qualify for a concealed weapon permit is minimal. Those who are granted licenses have to take eight hours of training that includes classes and practice at a firing range. Roan said the bill would mean that a person who practiced with a simple kind of gun at a range could come onto campus armed with a high-powered weapon.
Murphey's original bill, requested by a constituent, would have changed the law so that a person could transport a rifle, shotgun or pistol "open and loaded" in a vehicle at any time. He said the bill would have been patterned after the "Texas Travel" law, which provides that Texans can have loaded weapons in their vehicles. Murphey said the committee did not like that version of the bill, so he decided to scratch that language and insert the new proposal regarding guns on college campuses.
Oklahoma State University spokesman Gary Shutt said OSU is tracking the bill. Noting that students are not allowed to have guns on campus, Shutt said police still are evaluating the proposal.
Labels: Campus Concealed Carry, Jason Murphey
posted by Mike McCarville @ 9:32 AM
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