A bill passed through the Mississippi House of Representatives today that would give those with an advanced concealed carry license the ability to bring a gun into a prohibited area which would include athletic events on college campuses.
Author of the bill Andy Gibson says that this bill does not add any new law and that the same language regarding these permits at an athletic event has existed since 2011, but SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has now sent a letter to President of MSU Mark Keenum and Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter stating that passage of HB 1083 could result in the changing of scheduling to deal with safety concerns.
Despite Commissioner Sankey’s hopes for an amendment, Gipson said that he would oppose any amendment that would “roll back the rights of citizens.”
Keenum issued a statement of his own in opposition to this legislation.
“We have a fundamental responsibility to protect our students, faculty, staff and visitors to our campus. In recent years, the Mississippi Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning adopted policies to allow concealed weapons into ‘public’ venues on campus, but has not allowed firearms into areas determined ‘non-public’ such as classrooms and residence halls. We have great concerns about the prospect of a broad expansion of the existing IHL policies regarding firearms being brought onto campus because of the increased risk it would pose for every member of our campus community.
”I believe that a majority of the parents of the outstanding young people we are entrusted with educating and nurturing share my concerns about the passage of this bill and with it the introduction of firearms into our classrooms and our residence halls,” Keenum said.
Vitter has yet to comment on the matter.
Several legislators stood to oppose the bill stating that the atmosphere at a football game is not appropriate for weapons in the crowd.
Gipson said that the whole purpose of the bill is “self-defense”.
The bill passed by a final vote of 80-29, but a motion to reconsider has been entered.
