Listen Here
By Monica Crawford
crawfordm3@findlay.edu
On March 12, three students were shot inside a classroom at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Despite a classmate’s quick efforts to diffuse the situation by stabbing the gunman, one of the shot students died while two others were severely injured.
As a result, Republican lawmakers in Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming are presenting bills that would authorize students, faculty, and visitors with concealed carry permits and, in some instances, without permits to bring firearms into classrooms. With Ohio and more than half of the states currently banning guns on college campuses, these laws could reshape established norms.
William Spraw, chief of police and director of security at the University of Findlay, and John Dunbar, UF captain of campus police and safety/security, can see both sides of the debate.
“I think the classroom would be a little more protected if you think of it that way, but I also think it would make a lot more students uncomfortable with someone sitting in class with a firearm,” said Spraw.
“If this effect were to come on campus, you’d definitely have to have everybody on board because you still want all the students and faculty to feel safe,” said Dunbar.
If guns were permitted in classrooms, concerns arise about improper use and mistaken identity.
“If you’re carrying and there is an active shooter incident, you’re probably tempted to pull your firearm because that’s why you carry it, but then you become a suspect, and it is really going to throw a wrench into the police officer’s response,” said Spraw. “The other issue is if a student is carrying and they just so happen to have a disagreement with a professor at that time in that office or that classroom, that could escalate quickly.”
“If you pull your firearm out and there’s an active shooter incident going on, someone could have mistaken you for the bad guy,” said Dunbar. “You also do not want someone pulling a gun out all the time and people thinking they’re law enforcement officers if they’re carrying one.”
If firearms were permitted on campus, students would most likely need to complete training and be required to conceal and register their guns.
“To ease the students who may be uncomfortable, one of the policies possibly could be no open carry,” said Spraw. “And maybe have each student register with the university, saying I carry concealed, but I don’t know how it would go with students wanting to admit that.”
“If guns were allowed on campus, they would strictly have to be concealed so that you’re not causing an alarm,” said Dunbar. “Also, I think training or awareness would emphasize what a student should do and how they should react when law enforcement is responding, so they’re not mistaken as the shooter.”
However, since the University of Findlay is a private institution, these proposals may not even be taken into consideration because it is not required to comply with the proposed laws.
“Even if this law were to go into effect, we’re a private university, and it’s different from a state university; we have a little more control over what goes on our campus than a state campus,” said Spraw. “We can literally keep things the same and say no guns in the classroom or anywhere on university property unless it’s properly secured in your vehicle.”
While guns are banned, students may rely on pepper spray for self-defense.
“A firearm has faster lethality, and pepper sprays are nonlethal,” said Spraw. “We don’t like the 10-pound ones, but the personal ones on a keychain, we understand that.”
The safety and well-being of UF students is a campus priority and students are encouraged to notify campus security at (419) 434-4799 if an emergency arises.
