In the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, University of Alaska President Pat Gamble stated his concerns and disapproval of a bill that would permit concealed guns on campus.
Gamble: “I was impressed with the initial production of the bill and the defining and the definition of the fundamental rightst and the importance of those rights. But the idea that with some push back we’re already into compromising some of those rights in an attempt to get something out there, not impressive. And so I look at it askance, I mean I don’t look at it very positively.”
Gamble stated that he had received multitudes of letters from students and partners of the University that have said they will leave if SB 176 passes.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator John Coghill, said that he has heard almost equally from opposition and supporters of the bill.
Sen. Coghill: “I’ve tried not to just go by who is the noisiest, but what is the best policy, what is the best legal instrument, how do we balance our rights against the compelling interest of the safety and the university.”
He added that the University has brought up reasonable concerns about guns in housing and around minors and he will continue to work to accommodate those.
The most recent revisions to the bill include limit it to persons 21 and over with a concealed carry permit.