A University graduate student and Concealed Handgun License holder recently sued the Oregon University System for forbidding him to carry his gun on campus.
A trial date has not been set, but Brian Stubbs’ lawsuit has stirred controversy in the community, and students and faculty are divided over whether guns should be allowed on campus.
Some students argue that carrying a weapon on public ground is constitutionally protected, while others say it would make the campus unsafe.
In a random survey of 100 University students, 31 percent said they thought OUS doesn’t have the right to prevent someone with a CHL from carrying a gun on campus, 52 percent said CHL holders should not be allowed to bring their guns to campus, and 17 percent said they were undecided.
University pre-journalism major Sheldon Traver received his CHL almost two years ago and believes that CHL holders have the right to carry their weapons on campus.
“We should be allowed to carry on campus as long as you have gone through the training and you’ve got the license,” he said.
He added that even if OUS allowed concealed handguns, he probably wouldn’t carry a gun on campus because it is an attention-grabber. However, he said he would carry it in public places like downtown Portland, and he is aware of his rights and responsibilities in case he’s put in a situation where he needs to pull out his weapon.
Traver said society would probably be safer if more people carried weapons because it would act as a deterrent to criminals.
“If you’re a criminal and you know that one in six people are carrying, you’re more likely to think first about what you’re doing,” he said.
He also argued that Department of Public Safety officers should be allowed to carry weapons if they are properly trained.
“They are put in situations just as (the Eugene Police Department) is, where they might have to use some measure of force to keep people from doing what they were doing,” he said.
Hanna Budan, a pre-computer and information science major, disagreed with Traver about students carrying weapons, although she does think that DPS officers should be equipped with guns.
“There can be too much power when only one group is allowed to carry guns or have weapons,” she said. “I would feel more comfortable if DPS, who is hired and trained by the University, had guns.”
Budan added that she doesn’t have a problem with people having the CHL, she just doesn’t think guns should be on campus.
“I personally don’t really feel safe with a whole bunch of college kids carrying guns around,” she said. “Even if they are trained to use them.”
Budan said she would rather have guns in the residence halls than in classrooms if guns were allowed on campus because the residence halls are more like a private home.
Economics major Chris Looney disagreed. He thinks concealed handguns should not be allowed in the residence halls but should be allowed on campus.
“I think the problem with the residence halls would be the fact that the gun is not necessarily in your control the whole time,” he said. “So there are a lot of variables there.”
Looney added that he would feel safe if a CHL holder with a gun was sitting across from him in class because he or she is most likely a responsible citizen.
“Guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens are not dangerous,” he said, adding that he is not opposed to DPS carrying guns.
Sociology Professor Chuck Hunt, a recreational gun-maker and casual opponent of gun control, disagreed, saying DPS does not need to have guns. He added that allowing concealed weapons on campus is one of the worst ideas he has heard, but he proposed that handguns be kept in a storage unit while students are on campus or living in the residence halls.
“The idea of having concealed weapons in a 500-person classroom is absolutely ridiculous to me,” Hunt said. “I would be very reluctant to teach under those kind of circumstances.”