A bill being considered in the Georgia General Assembly, if passed, would make it legal for some permitted gun owners to carry a gun on public college and university campuses, including Georgia Southern University, Ogeechee Technical College and East Georgia State College.
         House Bill 859 passed last week by a vote of 113 to 59, with "only three or four Republicans voting (against it,)" said Bulloch County State Rep. Jan Tankersley, who voted in favor of the bill.
        The bill would allow gun owners with a concealed carry permit to bring guns in purses, book bags or on their persons, covered by clothing, on public college campuses. The only restriction would be guns could not be taken into student housing, fraternity or sorority houses, or buildings used for sporting events.
        Currently, the law allows handguns to be brought onto university or college campuses owned by the state, but only by licensed visitors or those who keep the firearm locked in a trunk, a secured compartment or case inside a vehicle.
        Introduced by Rep. Rick Jasperse, a Republican from Jasper, the bill now sits with the Senate, awaiting approval or suggested changes.
        If senators choose to make changes to the bill, it will be sent back to the House for review, Tankersley said.
        Sen. Jack Hill said Friday he was undecided how he would vote, since the bill has not reached the senate floor, but that he historically votes in favor of 2nd Amendment rights to bear arms.
        "I have always voted pro-adult permit, freedom for adults to carry with a permit," he said. But possible changes could be made to the bill, and he is awaiting the final draft before deciding on his vote.
        "There has been a good bit of crime at urban campuses, and the opinion (about guns on campus) has evolved," he said.

Views of Georgia Southern's police chief
        Georgia Southern University officials said they had no comment on the current bill, but interim police Chief Laura McCullough addressed the issue Tuesday at a civic club meeting. She expressed concern about guns being on campus and available to younger students. However, she also said she supported 2nd Amendment rights.
        Guns on campus in any form and the potential for an active shooter situation are "some of the challenges GSU police face" daily, she said, "I'm not sure a college campus is where guns belong."
        The maturity of some younger students paired with the presence of alcohol which occurs around college campuses, could translate into a dangerous situation, she said.
        "We're not anti-gun folks by any means," she said.
        The current law, where people may have secured guns in their vehicles, is acceptable, and those guns "can't be in a gun rack or tucked underneath a seat," but must be locked in a trunk or secured case inside the vehicle, she said. The new bill as passed by the House would allow guns to be carried in book bags, purses and worn underneath clothing.
        The concern about guns in purses and book bags is that many students leave these items unattended, such as when they set them down in a computer lab or class.
        McCullough said she understands the desire for protection but the concern by police with the new law is "we wouldn't know how many (guns are on campus) or who has them."
        In an active shooter situation, responding officers would not know whether people they encounter on the scene are armed, she said.
        "Do we know if they are a good guy or a bad guy?"

Passion on both sides
        Tankersley voted in favor of the bill, but said she had "mixed emotions" about it. "I hate it that we're at the point where we don't feel safe where we should feel safe," she said.
        Since one has to be 21 or over in order to legally own a handgun, the current law would make it illegal for a younger person to have a gun, and that should ease concerns about maturity in handling firearms, she said. But, "I've heard passionate testimony on both sides."
        Hill also said he has heard strong arguments from both sides - opposing as well as supporting the bill. "People are very passionate about it."
        One argument from those opposing the law was that gun free zones are to keep people safe, but Tankersley said that shootings "still happen in gun free zones." Gun laws aren't usually observed by those committing the crimes, and "83 percent of these cases" where gunmen opened fire on victims could have been prevented or turned out with fewer casualties had someone in the crowd been armed and subdued the shooter, she said.
        State Rep. Jon Burns also voted in favor of House Bill 859. He said the vote in the House show how strongly the majority feels about 2nd Amendment rights.
        "That's a sound victory," he said of the 113-59 vote. "It (the bill) protects Constitutional rights."
        The law requires gun handlers to be 21 and have gone through background checks in order to get a concealed carry permit anyway, and it gives people the protection they desire, he said.
        Violence on campus exists in spite of gun free zones, and "that gives the bad guy the advantage," he said. "This evens the playing field."

Statesboro PD's role
        Statesboro Police Major Rob Bryan, interim police chief, said if the bill passes, it won't affect the way Statesboro police assist GSU officers in emergency situations. And since Statesboro police do not usually handle calls on campus, the bill "would be no different than the (current) open carry law," he said.
        The bill's passing would "have no impact" on city police.
        However, if any extra training is needed to help officers in situations where they assist university police on campus, Statesboro police officers will receive that training, he said.
        Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.