UW-Green Bay Faculty Senate opposes campus carry

Members of the UW-Green Bay Faculty Senate voted unanimously at the group’s meeting on campus Wednesday, Oct. 28, to register opposition to a legislative proposal that would amend the state’s concealed-carry law to allow permitted civilians to bring guns and other deadly weapons into UW System campus buildings.

The text of the resolution:

Resolution of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Faculty Senate Against LRB-­2653/1
Unanimously Approved on October28, 2015

WHEREAS, the university is an institution devoted to the development and enlargement of students’ minds and abilities, to the free and open discussion of ideas, and to the creation and dissemination of knowledge; and

WHEREAS, the very presence of concealed weapons undermines the safe environment necessary for the exploration of controversial and challenging ideas; and

WHEREAS, the presence of concealed weapons on campus increases the possibility of accidents, homicides, and suicides, and interferes with campus safety plans; and

WHEREAS, the potential presence of concealed weapons threatens to cause fear and mistrust, interfering with everyday interactions among faculty, staff, and students; and

WHEREAS, the permitting of weapons into campus classrooms, offices, dining areas, residence halls, lounges, and other spaces would fundamentally change the nature of employment, enrollment, and residency at the university; and

WHEREAS, private businesses and institutions have the ability under state law to prohibit concealed weapons; and

WHEREAS, we stand in solidarity with other members of the public higher education community in Wisconsin, including the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Colleges, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, and the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point,

THEREFORE, the Faculty Senate of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay hereby declares our opposition to LRB-­‐2653/1 or any such law that would require public colleges and universities in Wisconsin to allow the carrying of weapons in campus buildings by anyone other than authorized law enforcement officers.

References: “Leading Causes of Death Reports, National and Regional, 1999 – 2013.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The UW-Green Bay Faculty Senate also voted to endorse a similar resolution approved earlier by counterparts with the UW Colleges system. The text of that resolution:

RESOLUTION on CONCEALED CARRY IN CAMPUS BUILDINGS
A STATEMENT BY FACULTY AND STAFF AT THE UW COLLEGES IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED CONCEALED CARRY OF FIREARMS BILL ON CAMPUS

WHEREAS, the current proposed legislation (LRB-2653/1) in the Wisconsin Legislature would 1) exempt any college or university in the UW System and any technical college from the law that allows a university or college to prohibit a person from carrying a firearm in any building on its grounds if the person holds a license to carry a concealed weapon; 2) Repeal the provision in the administrative code in which the UW System generally prohibits persons from carrying, possessing, or using any dangerous weapon on university property or in university buildings or facilities, and

WHEREAS, allowing concealed carry permit holders to bring firearms on university grounds, buildings, or into classrooms threatens the progress of education and the expression of ideas and makes the university less safe, and

WHEREAS, law enforcement professionals believe that prohibiting firearms on college campuses, except by campus police and trained security officers, is an essential element of those schools’ safety plans, and

WHEREAS, the faculty and staff at the UW Colleges are responsible for being a voice for students, faculty, and staff on issues relating to campus safety and general well being, and

WHEREAS, all students, faculty, and staff at the UW Colleges have the right to learn and work in a safe environment free from concealed firearms, and

THEREFORE, be it resolved that the faculty and staff of the UW Colleges strongly oppose any bill put forth by the State of Wisconsin that could prohibit universities from banning the carrying of firearms by non-law enforcement officials in any building on our campus, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the faculty and staff at the UW Colleges strongly encourages legislators to give high priority to campus safety, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the faculty and staff at the UW Colleges urge legislators to vote against any such legislation.

References

• Act to amend 943.13 (1m)(c) to allow for concealed carry of firearms in university buildings.
• “Joint Statement: UW System President Ray Cross and UW System Chancellors on Campus Concealed Carry Bill.” UW System. 29 May 2015.
• Lovicott, Marc. “UWPD Statement Regarding Campus Carry Act Legislation.” UW-Madison Police Department. 13 October 2015.