Guns on Campus bill opposed by body representing 10k Tennessee faculty members

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Two state lawmakers have put forth a bill that would allow registered students to concealed carry handguns at public colleges or universities.

One professor, however, says allowing students to bring guns on campus would cause more harm than good.

This bill would “authorize a registered student at a public institution of higher education to carry a handgun in a concealed manner on school property if that student has a handgun carry permit and is in compliance with state law.”

Dr. Pippa Holloway is a professor at MTSU and president of the Tennessee University Faculty Senates, which represents faculty members at the ten public universities in the state.

“The reality is, when you have guns, the likelihood of guns going off is more likely. So, when you have anybody that is armed on campus, what you're first of all doing is increasing the likelihood of accidental discharges,” she says.

That's exactly what happened last year at TSU when George Wells Jr. accidentally shot and killed fellow student Rickey Scott in his dorm room after handling what he thought was a pellet gun.

We spoke with a couple of students who knew about the incident. They told us they believe more guns could promote recklessness.

“You have to think that, once they have a gun, they would be quick to shoot with it,” says student Jeremiah Higginbottom. “Like, they wouldn't even think about their safety.”

“This generation just does whatever they want,” says student Quentin Pearson. “So, if somebody is having a bad day, they would just get to firing.”

The bad day part is also one of Dr. Holloway's fears.

She says, though most of her interactions with students are great, sometimes she must have tough conversations with them, and she's afraid that firearms could turn those conversations violent.

“It's rare, but I’ve definitely been in some volatile interactions with students,” she says. “And sure, I would be a lot more fearful knowing that they could be legally carrying a gun into my office on a Friday afternoon while they're crying.”

The bill was introduced earlier this year and has passed the second consideration in the Senate.