A bill that would have allowed staff members at Arkansas' public colleges and universities to possess a gun on campus if they had a concealed-carry permit has fallen in committee.
House Bill 1077, sponsored by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, failed to advance after the House Education Committee tied 10-10 after more than two-and-a-half hours of discussion and testimony. Eleven votes were required to send the bill to the full House.
The vote fell along party lines with the panel's 10 Democrats rejecting the bill and its 10 Republicans supporting it.
A 2013 law gave public colleges and universities the option to authorize concealed carry for staff members, but all 33 of the state's institutions decided not to allow it.
On Thursday, Collins cast the proposal as one that would create a "deterrence" for potential shooters who may choose a college or university because they know it is a "gun-free zone" that bars concealed-carry holders from being armed.
"This is not about shooting people," he said. "This is about deterring people who want to kill our loved ones from coming there and shooting them."
Collins listed several high-profile shootings at schools across the country, saying he believes the "trend line" is increasing, and said that many of the shooters have planned their attacks in detail, suggesting they might be dissuaded if they knew their victims could be armed. He said the Aurora, Colo., theater shooter drove past other screenings to open fire at one where concealed-carry permittees were not allowed to have guns.
Collins said he also believes the "benefits outweigh the risks," noting that the bill doesn't allow students to carry, guns can't be stored in dorms and it doesn't permit concealed weapons at athletic events. He also said Arkansas State Police heavily screen concealed-carry permittees.
"These folks are not the problem," he said of the permit holders. "These folks are the good guys and ladies."
Some legislators expressed serious concerns with the bill. Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, questioned Collins about how it might affect university childcare facilities. And Rep. Warwick Sabin, D-Little Rock, said Collins' contentions about deterrence and gun-free zone shootings were not proven, reminding him that "correlation is not causation."
"Which means on all of these points, your guess is as good as mine," he said, "which is important because I'm not the one trying to make a radical change in state policy."
Leding, whose district includes the University of Arkansas campus, said he had heard "overwhelming" opposition to it from students, professors and parents.
A number of students asked the committee not to pass the bill, including University of Arkansas junior Ezra Smith. He called the bill "totally unworkable" because of Department of Homeland Security-designated high security zones on campus it might conflict with. And he rejected the idea that it would improve safety, saying it's more likely a person with a gun would injure or kill an innocent person in the event of an active shooter situation.
"A six-hour weekend course does not train you properly to defend students or people," he said.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Chancellor Joel Anderson also expressed opposition to the bill, saying it's not necessary since colleges and universities currently can decide to allow licensed staff to carry weapons if they choose to do so. He said there is occasionally "mutual unhappiness" between students, staff or supervisors at the school and the addition of a gun could be problematic.
"Either side can be unhappy with the other," he told the panel. "I just think if we have more guns in the hands of more people on campus, we're going to increase the likelihood that we have some deadly use of a gun that otherwise would not be taking place."
Dan Greenberg with the Advance Arkansas Institute was one of four people who spoke in favor of the bill before the vote. He said allowing guns in more public places is generally a good thing.
"The evidence of real world shows when you extend 2nd Amendment rights, you don't see danger," he said. "Instead, you see safety."
The bill was amended at the beginning of the meeting to exempt UAMS Medical Center and the Clinton School of Public Service from having to allow concealed-carry.
See Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full coverage.
HB 1077
Voting for
Rep. Bruce Cozart, chairman, R-Hot Springs
Rep. Gary Deffenbaugh, R-Van Buren
Rep. Justin T. Harris, R-West Fork
Rep. Jon S. Eubanks, R-Paris
Rep. Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia
Rep. Nate Bell, R-Mena
Rep. Charlotte V. Douglas, R-Alma
Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle
Rep. Bill Gossage, R-Ozark
Rep. Grant Hodges, R-Rogers
Voting against
Rep. Sheilla E. Lampkin, vice chairman, D-Monticello
Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville
Rep. Reginald Murdock, D-Marianna
Rep. James Ratliff, D-Imboden
Rep. John W. Walker, D-Little Rock
Rep. Scott Baltz, D-Pocahontas
Rep. Mark D. McElroy, D-Tillar
Rep. Charles L. Armstrong, D-Little Rock
Rep. Warwick Sabin, D-Little Rock
Rep. Michael John Gray, D-Augusta