Proposed bill could allow guns on state college campuses

JACKSON, Tenn. — Proposed legislation could have some faculty at state colleges armed with handguns.

State Sen. Mike Bell is asking lawmakers to consider allowing all full-time staff and faculty to carry handguns and pack heat inside the classroom.

Students say they’re divided on the bill. “I think it’d make me feel more safe, but some people would freak out if they know there is a live weapon inside of a classroom,” Dalton Roe said.

Roe is a freshman at Jackson State Community College.

Jackson State sophomore Adam Khalil said he wouldn’t trust faculty members carrying handguns at school.” Anything can happen. One of the faculty can go crazy and just start shooting everybody.”

JSCC and the University of Memphis Lambuth Campus are only two of the schools facing potential impact from the proposal.

At both schools, the only staff currently allowed to carry guns on campus are police officers.

The proposed gun law could mean more than 200 faculty and staff at JSCC could be armed on campus.

John McCommon with JSCC said the school provides training to school employees for dealing with possibly dangerous situations such as an active shooter on campus.

“We are definitely taking steps to try and respond to that and handle it as best we can,” McCommon said.

Current law states it’s a felony to go armed, with some exceptions, at any public or private school.

A similar house bill proposes that private schools implement a handgun carry policy either allowing or prohibiting the carrying of handguns on school grounds by licensed owners.