The “campus carry” legislation makes it relatively easy for license-holders to find out where they can and cannot carry a concealed handgun on campus. However, these rules are also relatively easy to break because license holders are accountable only to themselves unless they are caught.
“Responsibility” — a word riddled throughout the University System of Georgia “campus carry” legislation. These rules, which most public colleges and universities in Georgia have implemented, leave a lot up to chance.
The law does provide valuable information about where students can and cannot carry a weapon, but it also states that “it is the responsibility of those who choose to carry handguns on campus to make themselves aware of where and when they can do so.” In all fairness, this also forces those not participating in the allowances of the legislation to be “responsible” for knowing the same information as well if they want to remain aware of what is and what is not allowed in their location.
Accountability to ensure students follow these rules falls to law enforcement, but they have no right to intervene unless someone is caught violating the rules — the key word here being “caught.”
According to the law, “faculty members may not ask license-holders to reveal that they are carrying concealed handguns or in any way discourage them from doing what they are legally allowed to do,” but other USG guidelines state that license holders cannot carry a gun in “faculty, staff or administrative offices.”
With these two rules considered, there doesn’t leave much accountability in place to stop a licensed carrier from continuously violating a rule, such as where they can or cannot carry on campus. Since the “campus carry” legislation covers concealed handguns only, it would be relatively easy to hide such violations if no one is allowed to ask if they’re carrying.
If the “campus carry” legislation was amended to allow students, faculty and staff to ask license holders if they are carrying, but only when they’re occupying prohibited areas, it would serve as the start to a compromise and a heightened sense of responsibility for more than just the individual carrying a handgun.
It all comes back to that pesky word again: “responsibility.” The responsibility on the gun owner’s part is exchanged for trust from everyone else. However, just as a licensed carrier has a right to carry a concealed handgun on campus, those around them should have a right, at least in prohibited spaces, to ask them if they’re carrying.
“If the ‘campus carry’ legislation was amended to allow students, faculty and staff to ask license holders if they are carrying, but only when they’re occupying prohibited areas, it would serve as the start to a compromise and a heightened sense of responsibility for more than just the individual carrying a handgun.” – Rebekah Fuchko
Are you serious? Do colleges not teach critical thinking skills these days? Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections aside, even IF there were a law requiring anyone to incriminate themselves when in a prohibited area, what makes you think they would just tell anyone, “Oh yes, I’m carrying and didn’t realize this was a prohibited area.”?
And if a person were concealing their firearm, on what basis would you be triggered to ask them in the first place? Perhaps because they might be wearing a Trump hat, or be known to be a persona non grata, you know, a non-“progressive”?
And psst, by the way Rebekah, you can still ask folks anything you want even without the campus carry law being amended. I guess you just want a law that would force someone to truthfully answer you, huh?
Good luck crafting a law like that, LOL! Sort of like how laws against carry don’t keep out criminals with guns. You “progressives” think you can stop bad guys with a law written on paper, but it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun.
Young heads with mush sure like to write articles for their college paper. 🙂