Rep. Collins files campus concealed carry bill, UA System boss opposes bill

A bill requiring Arkansas’ public colleges and universities to allow staff members to carry concealed weapons on campus was filed Monday, but certain institutions, such as the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Clinton School of Public Service, would be exempted.

Under legislation sponsored in 2013 by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, public colleges and universities can allow staff members to carry a concealed weapon, but they can opt out from doing so, and all have. Collins’ House Bill 1249 would eliminate the opt out provision.

The bill includes a number of exceptions. One would be for schools within half a mile of a presidential library, which would include the Clinton School of Public Service. Collins said the Clinton Presidential Library at times hosts the Secret Service, which changes the dynamic. Other language effectively would exempt UAMS because, Collins said, the college often treats in its emergency room victims of a violent crime who may be armed themselves, and the university has its own law enforcement personnel who are ready to manage those situations.

The bill includes a provision allowing institutions to prohibit concealed weapons during a formal employee grievance hearing. Weapons also could be prevented during special events if enough law enforcement officers are present. Private schools could continue to allow or disallow staff members to carry concealed weapons on campus.

The bill also would apply to a technical institute in a county with at least 200,000 people that borders another state, which would be Northwest Technical Institute. It was included at the request of the institute, Collins said.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in December that the current law is “a very workable arrangement.” His spokesman, J.R. Davis, said Tuesday the governor has not had a chance to review the bill. Collins said he has not spoken with Hutchinson about it.

University of Arkansas System President Dr. Donald Bobbitt released a statement saying, “Like Gov. Hutchinson, our position has been that we believe a decision such as this is best left up to local boards of trustees that have knowledge of individual safety issues and the ramifications decisions like this have on our campuses. Our board has discussed this in depth for several years and has voted continuously to disallow concealed handguns on our campuses.”

Collins said he expects the bill to run in the House Judiciary Committee Jan. 31. He said he does not know how much support he has, but a similar bill passed the House easily in 2015 before dying in a Senate committee. He first ran the bill in 2011 but couldn’t get it out of the House Education Committee. In 2013, he ran the bill again and passed it by amending it to include the opt out provision.

“I think I’ve got a compelling case for deterring killers from murdering our loved ones on campus, and that we can balance the risks of accidents and things of that nature to the point where this is easily a net good to protecting the lives of innocent people,” he said in an interview Tuesday.