Mass shooters don’t pay attention to “gun-free zones” or localized gun bans. But law-abiding gun owners who are not dangerous do tend to comply with such bans, leaving them unarmed if a mass shooter shows up.
But Michigan State is banning people with concealed weapons permits from carrying firearms on campus, in response to a mass shooting. The mass shooting was committed by a man had previously violated firearms laws, and who was able to have a gun because the local progressive prosecutor earlier dropped felony charges against him (had he been convicted of a felony, that would have barred him from owning a gun, and he might have been incarcerated and kept off the streets). Campus Reform reports:
A public university in Michigan is electing to cram down on gun rights as a result of a February campus shooting by a man who had no affiliation with the school.
On Sept. 8, Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees voted to amend its weapons policy in order to effectively ban concealed carry on campus.
“The board’s amendment fortifies existing gun-safety measures by allowing only certified law enforcement officers and those with an approved educational or research purpose to possess a firearm on university grounds,” the board announced.
The measure passed in a 5-2 vote, with Democrat board chair Remar Vassar and lone Republican trustee Dan Kelly opposing the measure.
According to Michigan Advance, the school’s previous policy had restricted students and staff from carrying firearms on campus, but a loophole in the MSU guidelines technically permitted members of the public to carry on school grounds.
Under the rule change, only police officers and campus security personnel may now possess firearms. The new policy also allows an exemption for those who are legally authorized to carry when driving on a university road, so long as they remain in the vehicle….
The policy change comes in response to a campus shooting on Feb. 13 that left three students dead. The shooter seemingly had no ties to MSU.
MSU College Republicans President Zachary Friedman…agreed with trustee Kelly’s view that the new policy will only harm law-abiding citizens.
“Absolutely, I think it’s a bad idea,” Friedman said. “Gun free zones account for 98% of mass shootings. [Concealed pistol license] holders are also one of the most law abiding demographics of US citizens and to remove the right to defend themself is both unconstitutional and unethical…Firearms are used defensively anywhere from 500,000-2,000,000 times to stop active crimes according to the CDC. Criminals are inherently rule breaking meaning that this new rule is not going to change anything other than take away the right for law abiding citizens to defend themselves.”
