UCPD officer Paul Davis opens up and displays the gun storage locker located within the CU Police Department. Aside from storage with UCPD, guns are not allowed on campus. (CU Independent/Sara Fossum)
Some CU students say they agree with warnings from CU officials concerning NERF guns on campus, while others say the ban goes too far.
After students began the game “humans vs. zombies,” where “humans” wielded the toy guns to kill off “zombies,” CU officials notified students that toy weapons are prohibited on school grounds. A sign posted by university officials said any students found with NERF guns on campus would be treated as gunmen and possibly arrested.
Molly Bosley, public information officer for the CU Police Department, said anything that looks like a handgun is not permitted on campus.
“UCPD has not banned NERF guns on campus, we are merely enforcing Regent policy which prevents handguns or anything resembling a handgun on campus,” Bosley said.
Kristin Johansen, a 23-year-old senior environmental engineering major, said she finds the ban to be an overreaction on the university’s part.
“NERF guns are NERF guns; they’re not real guns,” Johansen said.
Nick Lovan, a 24-year-old sophomore political science major and former Marine, said he understands the concern for safety.
“It’s an innocent game, but I can see how the staff has to worry about safety,” Lovan said.
Commander Tim McGraw, chief of police for UCPD, said the resemblance NERF guns have to real weapons can have serious ramifications.
“(They can be) really realistic guns, it can be really scary and can really result in a tragic consequence,” McGraw said.
Ross Labinger, a 24-year-old sophomore open option major, said he can understand McGraw’s point of view.
“It’s hard for people to make a split decision to decide whether it’s a real gun or a fake gun,” Labinger said.
According to Regent policy, weapons are not allowed on campus except when stored with the CU Police Department, McGraw said.
In order to store a firearm with the UCPD, one needs to bring the gun, unloaded, to police department headquarters, McGraw said. The police will check your ID and issue you a card that corresponds to your checked weapon. They will check the serial number on the gun to ensure that it is not stolen and then make sure that it is unloaded, safely firing into a tephlon-lined cylinder. The gun is then put in a secure storage locker with a copy of the card that matches the weapon.
In order to retrieve a stored weapon later, all a student has to do is bring in their card and ID, McGraw said.
Labinger said he thinks the gun storage program is okay, as long as the guns stored are used for hunting purposes.
“For hunting its fine, but as far as smaller weapons, concealed weapons, it doesn’t seem necessary,” Labinger said.
Lovan said he likes the idea of gun storage.
“I think that’s a good thing compared to students carrying guns on campus, concealed or not concealed. It’s a good program,” Lovan said.
Elizabeth Kantner, a 34-year-old graduate student, said she thinks the university is just respecting students’ right to bear arms.
“This program is respecting students’ rights and at the same time saying this is our policy,” Kantner Said.
There is still some concern among students concerning guns anywhere on campus, however, even when they are in storage.
“Seems a little dangerous, especially with how open dorms are,” Labinger said.
Josh Ruchwarger, a 19-year-old freshman, said he is worried that not all students will be responsible with weapons.
“What if there’s those crazy students out there?” Ruchwarger said.
At CU, concealed weapons are strictly prohibited just as all weapons are prohibited according to the Board of Regents Web site.
McGraw said the Regents’ ban has proven beneficial to the CU community.
“Absence of tragedy verifies the viability of the Regents’ ban,” McGraw said. “It just seems to make sense.”
One argument made for concealed carry on campus is the ability for students to protect themselves if a situation were to arise. McGraw said he recognizes this argument, but that CU police officers are keeping campus safe.
“I can appreciate people’s passion for wanting to take responsibility for their own safety,” McGraw said. “We invest a significant amount of resources to ensure that officers are up to the standard of anyone in the world.”
Some students have said they agree that concealed weapons have no place on campus.
“Why do people need to be carrying concealed weapons on campus? In a university setting, I don’t think it’s necessary,” Johansen said.
Whitney Grant-seach , a 23-year-old senior, said she thinks concealed weapons on campus could be harmful.
“If it’s present, there is a potential for an accident” Grant-seach said.
When asked about the possible inability for a student to defend him or herself if a situation were to occur, Lovan, who has served time as a Marine in Afghanistan, said he would rather leave the responsibility in the hands of the police.
“In the environment that we’re in, even with training, when confronting a situation, there can still be collateral damage,” Lovan said. “I would rather leave it in law enforcement’s hands.”
Contact CU Independent staff writer David Fridland at David.fridland@colorado.edu.
1 comment
The CU gun ban is paternalism in action. The comments reported in this article that are against the ban seem to be misguided and come from students who may not be familiar with or comfortable with gun ownership. The idea of saying that “yes, guns are ok as long as they are used for hunting” is patently absurd. Why hunting but not self defense? The CU campus has been seeing a surge in particularly violent crime this semester. I know I’d feel safer If I could legally carry my revolver in my bag. I don’t see what’s so dangerous about that. The possibility of an accidental discharge of a this weapon while holstered is nonexistent given the 10lb trigger pull and transfer bar safety (read: gun only goes bang when you pull the trigger back 1.25 inches). Many other comments betray a lack of understanding about concealed carry in general. Before an individual is allowed to carry concealed legally, he or she must take a gun safety course where he or she learns the various laws concerning carrying. Because of this, people who legally carry guns are better equipped than those that don’t to understand the rules of doing so. For instance, it’s illegal to carry while intoxicated, and if you are caught doing so, you will be arrested. This alone should dissuade the frat boys from taking their sidearms with them to the bars–something that everyone can agree is probably not a good thing. However, because we fear that “that one person” might screw it up for the rest of us, no one is allowed to carry. This mentality ignores the fact that not everyone will obey the rules–this goes double for someone who has already formed the idea that they will commit a crime of violence, with or without a firearm. How are the rest of us to defend against that hypothetical lone gunman with no respect for our concealed carry ban?
Of course, my biggest problem is that the ban does not allow me to take my shotgun to school with me in my car on days that I plan on shooting trap at the Boulder American Legion. I have to park on sovereign ground (American soil) off campus and hoof it. Small price to pay, but it bugs me every time.