Debate arises over legality of guns on campuses

MONMOUTH, Ore. - Two Oregon legislators believe the state's college campuses are violating state law when it comes to concealed weapons.

It is legal in Oregon to carry a licensed concealed weapon in a public place, which gun rights advocates insist includes colleges and universities. But campus officials have policies that state otherwise.

The issue came to light again after Western Oregon University student Jeffrey L. Maxwell was cited last month for possession of a gun in a public building on the Monmouth campus.

Rep. Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) and Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) , as well as some students, believe that was wrong.

In a letter to the colleges and universities, they say: "We are concerned about the rights of legal gun owners throughout our state and hope the university system will seek to remove any administrative rules or other policies which infringe on those rights."

At WOU, people are prohibited from carrying guns on campus even if they are licensed to carry a concealed weapon. The university's president has the "authority to control, manage and regulate behavior on campus," according to the policy. READ THE FULL POLICY

Even campus security isn't allowed to carry weapons.

The policy does call for a "polite discussion of the University's policy" whenever citizens with concealed handgun licenses are found to be on campus with their firearms. Those people are to be "requested to not bring the firearm when visiting in the future," the policy says.

That did not happen on Jan. 28 when someone called campus security after seeing a knife sticking out of Maxwell's pocket while the 30-year-old Lebanon man was inside the Werner University Center, according to his lawyer,  James Leuenberger of Lake Oswego.

When security officers confronted Maxwell and asked if he had any other weapons in his pockets, Maxwell told them he had a couple of other pocket knifes as well as a small handgun on him, Leuenberger said. The handgun was a Derringer, his lawyer said. Maxwell also told them about a rifle he had in his truck parked in a lot on campus.

Maxwell was criminally cited, and the university also initiated a student discipline case against him.

The student, who obtained his current concealed weapons permit from Linn County in 2006, was expected to attend a hearing Tuesday regarding the student discipline matter.

Meanwhile, the case has sparked debate on campus.

Student Teresa Lucas has a permit to carry a concealed gun, but she doesn't carry it on campus at WOU.

"If somebody went out of their way to get a concealed carry permit, then they went through the safety training, they know guns are a tool like anything else," she said. "You need to know them in and out and know you need to be safe and be responsible."

Lucas thinks anyone who follows state law shouldn't be considered a criminal.

"They want to be lawful," she said. "That's why they get a concealed carry permit, because they want to carry a weapon and do it lawfully."

Student Austin Karp-Evans thinks at least security officers on campus should carry guns.

"If campus security went through extensive training and they had guns, maybe," she said. "But just for the general public to have a license and bring it on campus? I don't think that's right."

TJ Nettles was studying nearby when the WOU student who had a license to carry a concealed weapon was arrested for having a gun in a public building.

"Didn't pull the gun, didn't shoot anybody," he said, "but when I found out about it and what happened and it was just 30 feet away from me and I didn't even know about it, I was just in shock."

While defending the right to carry concealed weapons, Rep. Thatcher is also working on legislation that would enhance security measures at Oregon's public colleges.