Imagine life at PUC with no gun ban. Picture a campus on which students, faculty, and visitors could all carry a concealed weapon, whether in the parking lot or the classroom. This scenario could soon be reality should State Senator Johnny Nugent of Lawrenceburg find three times a charm in a possible January, 2010 revival of his controversial gun legislation.
Having failed in the Indiana Senate during the 2008 session and again last week for 2009, Nugent's bill would prohibit public colleges and universities in Indiana, which rely heavily on taxpayer funds, from establishing any regulation of firearms or ammunition. Co-author of the bill Senator Sue Landske of Cedar Lake, who has before carried a gun for self-defense, feels the gun ban leaves students vulnerable. "I may not carry a gun [for protection] anymore...but maybe somebody else will," Landske said.
Senator Frank Mrvan of Hammond, whose district includes the PUC campus, also insists student safety is paramount but feels the gun ban supports a safer environment.
"There is no necessity for firearms on any university campus or within an institution of learning," Mrvan said. "I feel strongly that the University should have the right and privilege of banning firearms from its campus."
The debate over gun policy on university campuses has raged for years, gaining extensive limelight after the shootings at Virginia Tech, which left 33 dead and 23 injured, and Northern Illinois University, which killed six and injured 18. PUC had two gun incidents, one an attempted carjacking, in late February, and Purdue West Lafayette had two armed robberies and a bomb threat in early March.
"Sometimes some things are more controversial," Landske said. "After these kinds of incidents, naturally, there is more concern for the victims than for the idea of gun policy."
Indiana is not the only state which has considered laws prohibiting gun bans on campuses. In 2006, one such battle went all the way to the Utah Supreme Court, whose ruling against the University of Utah made the state the first and only to enact such a prohibition against gun bans.
Discretion on campus is allowed in 23 states for gun policy, with only two colleges choosing to permit firearms. At least 12 other states have or are currently considering bills similar to Nugent's, including Illinois, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Oklahoma. No state has successfully passed the bills into law, indicating a clear divide over the issue. "When state legislatures reconvene in 2009, campus weapon regulations promise to be a controversial topic for political leaders, students and university personnel," stated the American Association of State Colleges and Universities AASCU in its past November Government Relations and Policy Analysis report.
According to the AASCU, a 2001 Harvard study showed 94 percent of students preferred a gun ban, but the tides may be changing after several attention-grabbing incidents across the nation. Not included in the report is a 2008 survey conducted by Missouri State University which found 76 percent of its students in favor of the school's gun ban. Conversely, a non-scientific internet poll by MSNBC last November showed 8 percent supporting a "gun-free zone".
As the controversy continues, PUC might expect to be a part of the country's conversation about gun policy. With several other states bringing the issue to their capitols and chambers, Indiana could remain on the forefront of the controversy during 2010's senate session, and PUC could see the gun ban lifted as early as July of next year.
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