Colleges updating gun policy

Jan. 14—College campuses across the state have been amending their policies regarding firearms on campus after the Jan. 1 enactment of the "permitless carry" law.

In April, Alabama became the 22nd state to allow residents to legally carry a concealed firearm without obtaining a permit from a local sheriff's office. On the surface the law does little to change Alabama's preexisting gun law, other than removing the requirement for legal gun owners to purchase a permit in order to carry a concealed firearm. The same general requirements for an individual to carry still stand.

* Must be 18 years or older.

* Must not have been previously convicted of a violent crime.

* Must not have been found to be mentally deficient.

* Must not have a protective order against them.

District 104 Representative Shane Stringer (R, Mobile County) — who introduced the bill — said that one new addition included in the bill was Section 8, which allows the governing body of an institution of higher learning to adopt their own policies to govern the possession of firearms on their campuses. Those policies may not however, prohibit an individual from having a firearm in their vehicles while on school grounds.

"If you're legal to own a firearm, you can have that weapon in your car as long as it's out of sight. It can't be out in the open," Stringer said.

Stringer said that this is similar to the existing policy that private businesses must adhere to. He said he was under the impression that colleges were already required to follow the same policy.

Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Governmental Affairs with the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Boone Kinard said that outside of law enforcement officers, the possession of firearms anywhere on campus grounds was strictly prohibited. Kinard said that they worked with legislators during the development of the bill and were thankful for the inclusion of Section 8. The alternative would have been having no ability to prohibit firearms anywhere on campus.

"Obviously there's some concerning pieces in that language, but that was part of the compromise that we had to do to get that section added into the bill. That's how legislature works. The fact that that section's in the bill is better than not having any ability to have any policy pertaining to this issue," Kinard said.

Kinard said that the ACCS has since amended its policy to allow for the current law's requirements. Wallace State Community College in Hanceville is following that lead by reforming its policy.

"As a member institution, Wallace State follows policies set by the ACCS Board of Trustees," said WSCC President Dr. Vicki Karolewics in an emailed response to The Times. "Keeping students and employees safe is foremost among our concerns, and we continually invest in the safety and security of our college."

Director of Communications and Marketing for Athens State University Chris Latham said that the law does little to change its existing policy, given that individuals with concealed carry permits were already allowed to posses firearms on campus by submitting a declaration form to the university. Latham said that Athens in consistently ranked among the safest schools in the nation and that they are hoping that its students and faculty continue to follow the policies in place.

"But that's in a perfect world where everyone follows the rules and does what they're supposed to do. Truthfully, a declaration form doesn't do very much to stop violence," Latham said. "We've got to just continue being vigilant and making sure we can protect our students, faculty and staff."

University of Alabama student Makayla Jordan with Students Demand Action, said that displaying a firearm was often used as an intimidation tactic for college students during an argument. She said that giving these students easier access to firearms could quickly turn into a dangerous situation.

"To be in a school where these weapons are allowed, it's dangerous. There's no real purpose for it. It only breeds danger and uncertainty. It gives people who have these wild and crazy ideas in their head a lot more leeway honestly," Jordan said.

In addition to handguns, the bill also states that an individual with a valid Alabama hunting license — who is otherwise not prohibited from possessing a firearm — may also have any firearm deemed legal for the use of hunting to be kept in their vehicle, along with ammunition for that firearm. Stringer said that the bill does not set any limits on the amount of ammunition that a person may be in possession of.

According to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources 2023 Book of Regulations, many species have no restrictions on the caliber of rifle used. Hanceville Police Chief Bob Long said that this includes assault weapons.

"An AR-15 with the right size magazine in a legal hunting weapon," Long said.

Jordan said that while potential presence of these types of weapons were concerning, she would like to see a ban on firearms of any kind on campus.

"I'm not necessarily worried about what type of gun it is. I'm really more afraid of who's allowed to have these weapons and are they properly trained. Especially on college campuses where you have issues like domestic violence, intimate partner violence and gun suicides," Jordan said.

Long said that he was also less concerned about the type of firearm in question, but was more concerned about the individual in possession of the weapon and their intent. However, that would need to be determined as each potential situation arises.

"Hindsight is always 20/20, and each thing will have to be dealt with on a case by case basis," Long said. "But a law abiding citizen with a firearm doesn't concern me near as much as the criminal element with a firearm."

Stringer said that during the bill's development, "thousands" of conversations took place with officials from varying departments across the state in order to minimize any adverse reactions, but was unable to recall any specific mentioning of Section 8. He said that the legislature would be willing to listen to additional input from an institution if problems were to arise.

"You don't fix every problem with one bill. There's a lot of problems across the state with guns and ammunition. That's why the school's have the authority to address some of that," Stringer said.

Kinard said that the ACCS was "as ready as we can be to deal with these sorts of things." Security officers at each campus have undergone training to make them aware of the new policies as well how they should handle any situation that may present itself because of those policies. Tools to monitor social media are also available to college staff and will be used to take a proactive approach to identify any troubling behavior that could be interpreted as a warning sign of potential violence.

Kinard said the ACCS would be monitoring the situation closely and were prepared to approach the legislature for proposed amendments to the law if needed.

"We'll have to see how this plays out over the next several months as this law goes into effect. ... If there are any issues that are identified, we'll be taking note of those and taking them to the legislature once they've been determined," Kinard said.

Requests for comment from Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry were not returned by deadline of this article.