Idaho Legislature should fund security upgrades
Almost one year after Idaho legislators passed the statewide Campus Carry law — allowing for the concealed carry of firearms on public college campuses in Idaho — the University of Idaho has yet to see any security upgrades or changes in campus safety efforts.
It’s not as though administrators haven’t tried. Matt Dorschel, UI’s executive director of Public Safety and Security, sent a budget proposal to UI’s Board of Regents in the fall, but it was rejected.
Now, he and other top-level administrators are looking internally to find funding — about $580,000 — to install security cameras on campus, hire a security system manager and fund technology infrastructure upgrades to support new equipment.
But at a university where budget shortfalls and cutting financial corners has become standard, finding extra money isn’t an easy task. It usually results in taking funds from other areas, impairing the administration’s ability to make other necessary budget changes and fill other financial holes.
The law passed and most people accept it, but the concern is no longer about whether or not guns should be allowed on campus.
Among the list of concerns from university administrators when the law was passed was the need for increased security and training if guns were introduced to college campuses.
Legislators acknowledged the need for improved security — and the need for funding to support it — but have done nothing to address it.
Legislators maintained the purpose of the Campus Carry law was to protect the rights of individuals to defend themselves and to bear arms. But if the true purpose of the law is self-defense, then the perceived threat on college campuses must be addressed with increased and improved security measures.
If legislators argue the risk on college campuses is so high individuals feel the need to carry their own handgun to defend themselves, clearly campus security efforts should be improved to help individuals feel safe on campus, with or without a gun.
In addition, introducing weapons — even under the guise of individual self-defense — increases risk on campus and changes the perception of campus safety. If a 2-year-old can accidentally discharge a concealed handgun and kill his mother, accidents can happen on a college campus. If an Idaho State University professor can accidentally shoot himself with a concealed weapon during a class, accidents can happen at UI.
Imposing legislation most people were opposed to is one thing. Ignoring their need for help in implementing policies and security to address the legislation is another entirely.
There is no doubt these upgrades to campus security efforts are necessary and pressing. It is now up to the Idaho Legislature to assist its universities and protect its students in the name of the law they defended so adamantly.
— KK