Today, I’m joining other members of K-SAFE (K-Staters Against Fatal Encounters) and the KCGFC (Kansas Coalition for a Gun-Free Campus) at the statehouse, in Topeka. There, we’ll hand out flyers that – we hope – will show our legislators the grave danger the “Kansas Personal and Family Protection Act.” Yes, this is really the name of the act that invites guns into dormitories, classrooms, counseling services, lecture halls, football stadiums, and faculty offices – and that will go into effect on July 1, 2017.
Here is a pdf of the flyer I’ve brought.
Below, the text of the flyer.
Why Campus Carry Threatens Higher Education
- According to legislation passed by the Kansas Legislature in 2013, state and municipal bodies cannot ban any legal gun owner from carrying concealed handguns on their campuses and public spaces, beginning in July 2017.
- The 2015 Kansas Legislature amended the law to drop any requirements for firearm or permit training for carrying concealed weapons.
These moves are currently supported by the Kansas Board of Regents, who are legally charged with the safety of all Regents institutions.
Guns will be permitted on all university property:
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70 percent of state university employees in Kansas oppose campus carry.
– survey conducted by the non-partisan Docking Institute of Public Affairs (2016)
“Nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings”
– Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, District of Columbia vs. Heller (2008)
“Concealed carry does not transform ordinary citizens into superheroes. Rather, it compounds the risks to innocent lives”
–New York Times, 26 Oct. 2015
Concealed carry threatens free speech. A faculty working group a the University of Houston has advised its professors: “Be careful discussing sensitive topics.” “Drop certain topics from your curriculum.” “Don’t ‘go there’ if you sense anger.”
– The Atlantic, 4 March 2016
K-SAFE: K-Staters Against Fatal Encounters
Further resources that may be of interest:
In Higher Education
- Elizabeth Dodd, “Argument is War: Are You Down With That? The Threat of Campus Carry in Kansas,” Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice Newsletter Spring 2016. Note: To read the article, scroll down to page 3.
- Ian Bogost, “The armed campus in the anxiety age,” The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2016
- Fermin Debrabander, “How Guns Could Censor College Classrooms,” The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2016.
- Danielle S, “Campus Gun Carry Will Ruin Social Justice in the Classroom,” MamaDemics, 2 Mar. 2016
- Philip Nel, “Guns vs. Schools,” Nine Kinds of Pie (this blog), 2 Dec. 2015
- American Association of University Professors, “‘Campus Carry’ Laws,” AAUP, 12 Nov. 2015
- Philip Nel, “When will I be shot dead?” Nine Kinds of Pie, 1 Oct. 2015
- “Guns on Campus,” Everytown for Gun Safety, 9 July 2015
Gun Control
- Editorial Board, “The Concealed-Carry Fantasy,” New York Times, 26 Oct. 2015
- David Ropeik, “The Secret Weapon Gun Control Advocates Should Use: Antonin Scalia,” HuffPost Politics, 9 Dec. 2015)
- Zack Beauchamp, “A huge international study of gun control finds strong evidence that it actually works,” Vox, 29 Feb. 2016
Kansas
- Kansas Coalition for a Gun-Free Campus (on Facebook)
- Kansas Coalition for a Gun-Free Campus (website)
- Kansas State University Distinguished Professors, statement on campus carry (2 Dec 2015)
Caroline McAlister
Vlad
Philip Nel