American Association of University Professors
House Bill 48, known as the “guns everywhere” bill, is scheduled for hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Ohio Senate’s Government Oversight and Reform Committee. The bill could be passed out of committee and sent to the Senate floor for a vote on Wednesday.
HB 48 would reduce the offense for unauthorized carrying of a concealed handgun on the premises of an institution of higher education from a felony to a minor misdemeanor, if the offender produces a valid conceal/carry license within 10 days of arrest. This is the equivalent of a first time speeding ticket or failure to register a dog.
The bill also would allow Ohio colleges and universities to develop a policy for allowing conceal/carry of handguns on campus and grant institutions immunity from liability caused by a conceal/carry licensee bringing a gun on to campus.
Here’s what you can do to help:
1) Call the offices of the Republican members of the Senate Committee and ask them to vote NO on HB 48. You may also click on their names below and send e-mails through their contact forms. Phone calls are more effective, though.
2) Contact the State Senator that represents you — either by phone or by using our online form — to tell them you oppose HB 48.
–Click here to find your Senator’s phone number.
–Click here to use our online form to send a message to your Senator.
More information on this issue:
The Ohio Conference AAUP consistently has opposed any measures that would open the door for conceal/carry on campuses. At our 2015 Annual Meeting, the membership unanimously approved the following resolution:
Resolution #3 – Opposition to House Bill 48
Whereas the Ohio Conference AAUP has a commitment to the safety and welfare of its members and their students, and to the educational missions of its members’ institutions;
Whereas Ohio House Bill 48 would open the door for conceal/carry permit holders to carry their weapons onto public and private college campuses;
Whereas the National AAUP passed a resolution in 2008 which stated:
College and universities closely control firearms and prohibit conceals guns on their campuses because they regard the presence of weapons as incompatible with their educational missions. The Ninety-fourth Annual Meeting of the American Association of University Professors endorses the reliance of colleges and universities on trained and equipped professional law-enforcement personnel to respond to emergency incidents. We call upon state legislative bodies to refrain from interfering with decisions that are properly the responsibility of the academic community.
Be it resolved that the Ohio Conference AAUP opposes Ohio House Bill 48 and other efforts that would allow firearms to be carried onto college campuses.
*Note: We understand that not every member of our association opposes this legislation or agrees with the position statements we have passed on the issue. However, just like everything the Conference decides to support or oppose, this matter has gone through a rigorous discussion and democratic process that involved our state leadership and membership.