Guns-On-Campus Bill to Become Law

Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday he is allowing the guns-on-campus bill to become law without his signature.

The bill, Senate Bill 2376, allows full-time faculty, staff and other employees of Tennessee’s public colleges and universities who have handgun-carry permits to carry their guns on campus — but they must notify the local law enforcement agency with primary responsibility for security on their campus — the campus police, for example.

The governor said in a letter to the House and Senate speaker that he prefers to let campuses make their own decision.

He said: “I am letting SB 2376 become law without my signature. I have long stated a preference for systems and institutions to be able to make their own decisions regarding security issues on campus, and I again expressed this concern throughout the legislative process this year. Although SB 2376 does not go as far as I would like in retaining campus control, the final version of the bill included input from higher education and was shaped to accommodate some of their concerns.

The bill won Senate approval 28-5 on April 19 and House approval the following day on a 69-24 vote.

The bill goes into effect July 1, but the bill gives law enforcement agencies with jurisdictions over each campus authority to develop and implement policies and procedures regarding the law’s requirement that employees notify law enforcement of their intent to go armed, and to offer voluntary courses or supplemental firearm training to employees who elect to go armed.

Excerpt from article written by Richard Locker of the Knoxville New Sentinel, Read full article at: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/politics/haslam-to-let-guns-on-campus-bill-to-become-law-31dedb25-a4d9-7a3b-e053-0100007ff39a-377856041.html