I am quite concerned about HB 4005, which would repeal the ban on concealed weapons on campus, and I know I am not the only one. I've heard from faculty members at FSU and across the state. Even President Thrasher, a big Second Amendment supporter, has publicly opposed the bill, including at a UFF-FSU luncheon, and was instrumental in stopping the bill in 2011. The UFF-FSU chapter overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing the legislation, which was also read during testimony at the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee that heard the bill on January 20:
Be it resolved that we, the Executive Council of the United Faculty of Florida-Florida State University, oppose proposed legislation that would allow concealed weapons on university campuses. We support the arguments and evidence suggesting that an increase in deadly firearms on campus will not enhance the safety of our students, faculty, or staff because of the potential increase in collateral damage, accidental shootings, and confusion regarding who the aggressor is in a given situation.
I know there are faculty members on our campus who support the bill, but as one who has studied school shootings since 1999, I personally find the arguments that suggest more guns on campus deter crime do not outweigh the concerns raised about campus safety by campus police, students, faculty, parents, and university presidents. To expect a student with a concealed weapon to shoot and presumably kill an active shooter is unacceptable and irresponsible. Police and military have how much more training compared to a 21-year-old with a permit to carry a concealed firearm? It seems to me that a "good guy," as Rep. Dennis Baxley, who sponsored Florida’s 2005 “Stand Your Ground” law, called concealed weapons permit holders, could have serious psychological issues after shooting another human being or after confronting with a decision in a life or death situation. And what if the "good guy" misses and shoots an innocent bystander? What if the "good guy" misses and the "bad guy" then shoots the "good guy"? And what if the police show up and see two people with guns; who do they disarm? The good guys don't always wear white hats and badges and the bad guys don't always wear black hats like they do in Westerns. There isn't time to ask, only to react. There are way too many disastrous consequences.
It also seems to me quite disingenuous for legislators to expect faculty and students to feel safer not knowing who has a gun in their classrooms when firearms are prohibited in any meeting of the Legislature. Or in any courthouse. Or bars. Or in lots of places. Because the potential danger outweighs the potential threat.
I'm all for discussions about campus safety, but introducing more guns on campus--and not knowing who is carrying those guns--is not the solution.
Despite the fact that 15 people spoke against the bill and 4 spoke for it at the January 20 hearing, the bill passed the subcommittee along party lines: 8-4. I will post information about the next hearing as soon as I know when it is scheduled. I encourage faculty and others concerned about the bill to plan to attend and have your voices heard.
