KSU professor arrested for protesting campus carry

The Georgia Senate passed “campus carry” legislation from the House of Representatives after hours of debate Friday, March 11.

In a 37-17 vote Friday afternoon, legislators passed the controversial campus carry bill with no changes from the House version.

House Bill 859 would allow anyone 21 years or older with a concealed carry permit to bring their weapon onto a public university or college campus. The bill still prohibits guns in fraternity and sorority housing, dormitories, and at athletic events. It has sparked plenty of controversy among students, parents, and university administration and faculty.

The Professor’s Stance

Friday morning, before the vote was held that afternoon, Kennesaw State University professor Amy Donahue was arrested for disturbing the General Assembly and obstructing a police officer, both misdemeanors.

Dr. Katya Vladimirov and Dr. Ariel Eisenberg accompanied Donahue to the Capitol to protest HB 859. While Vladimirov did not bring a sign with her, she confirmed that both of her colleagues carried handmade signs denouncing the campus carry bill.

“The security were aware that they had the signs,” Vladimirov said, pointing out that they placed their signs on the conveyor belt for the x-ray machine and passed the security checkpoint without an issue. They were also seen by several staff members of the Capitol with the signs.

According to Vladimirov, the group was told by a staff member that lobbying and signage were allowed on the third floor. Once they reached this level, they were approached by two state troopers, though they were not actively picketing or holding up their signs.

“They say, ‘You cannot display the signs,'” Vladimirov recalled. She claimed that Donahue told the officers that staff members of the Capitol had instructed them to go to this floor with their signs.

The third professor, Eisenberg, handed her sign to the officer. In the same instant, according to Vladimirov, the other officer grabbed Donahue’s sign and attempted to take it from her.

“I’m standing there, horrified by what I’m seeing,” Vladimirov said. “Then, in a split second, she’s on her back on the floor.”

She described the officers as dragging Donahue to the side and flipping her onto her stomach to place her in handcuffs.

“She was not kicking, screaming, did not resist in any way,” Vladimirov said.

“I have never seen such a ridiculous use of force against a woman who is laying on her back on the floor,” she said. “That was so uncalled for.”

Eisenberg declined to comment on the incident.

Tammy DeMel, the executive director of KSU’s Strategic Communications and Issues Management, released a statement the same day regarding the incident.

“We have the utmost respect for the General Assembly, and while we support appropriate expressions of opinion, we do not condone the disruptive activities associated with this incident,” DeMel said in the official statement.

Donahue was released on a $2,000 bond. As of press time, she has not been placed on any administrative leave.

The Student’s Stance

Not everyone at KSU opposes the idea of campus carry. One student, junior and culinary sustainability and hospitality major Layla Detko, was part of the driving force that helped the bill pass. She testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her support of HB 859 Wednesday, March 2. She described her experience last semester when two men cornered her on the way to a parking deck.

“It was the one time I was on campus past eight o’ clock last semester,” Detko said. “I still kind of have that fear in me that something like that is going to happen again.”

The men did not assault her or attack her. They made a loud noise to scare her as a joke, and Detko continued to her car. Her fear, however, is rooted in what could have happened.

“I don’t think pepper spray or a taser would have helped,” she said.

This fear led her to testify in support of campus carry in front of the Senate committee. According to Detko, there were many people in attendance to speak on both sides of the issue. Each person was limited to three minutes of speaking time, and Detko waited for five hours due to the large amount of testimonies.

“They listened whole-heartedly to every single person,” she said.

Detko noted that there was a mixture of demographics waiting to speak. Many students attended to testify on both sides of the issue as well as members of the organization Moms Demand Action, a group opposed to campus carry and dedicated to ending gun violence. According to Detko, there was an overwhelming majority of parents speaking about the safety of their children.

“Honestly, anyone that’s willing to go through the process to get the FBI background check, the fingerprinting, all that stuff to actually get a concealed permit should have a level of responsibility.”

Detko herself has a concealed carry permit, owns a firearm, and has taken classes on how to use her gun in stressful situations.

“I’d like to be able to carry my gun the way I was properly trained to,” she said.

The Administration’s Stance

Chancellor Hank Huckaby of the University System of Georgia also testified that same day.

“For many of you, it comes as no surprise how our institutions and faculty feel about firearms on campuses,” Huckaby said in front of the committee. “Our campus police officers will tell you that allowing students to have firearms on campus makes their job extremely challenging, particularly if an extreme emergency were to occur.”

Huckaby pointed out that he was once a member of the legislature and used this to show that he had the ability to empathize.

“I can assure you that I understand the position on both sides of this important debate and appreciate your thoughtfulness as you consider this legislation,” he said.

He emphasized the goal to educate students and increase the number of graduates.

“To continue to do this, we must provide our students, faculty and staff a safe environment, which is a responsibility that the University System takes very seriously,” Huckaby said in closing. “The bottom line – we oppose this legislation.”

In response to these remarks, President Daniel S. Papp released an official statement on KSU’s website March 3 with his stance on HB 859.

“I fully support the remarks that Chancellor Hank Huckaby delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday regarding HB 859,” Papp said in the statement, “and stand with him in strongly opposing this legislation.

“Prohibiting firearms on our campuses ensures safer learning and working environments for our students, faculty and staff, and mitigates the risks that firearms present for our campus police officers.”