Kansas Board Adjusts Guns on Campus Policy to Fit New State Law

The new policy would require individuals with guns to keep the weapons on their persons or in a secure storage device.

A Kansas Board of Regents committee approved a new weapons policy that would allow universities to ban guns in certain buildings on campus.

The proposed policy is a response to a new state law that requires universities to start allowing concealed guns on campuses in 2017, according to ljworld.com.

The law requires universities to provide adequate security measures at the building entrances where guns are not permitted. Such measures, such as hiring security officers or installing metal detectors, could be expensive and consequently limit the ability of universities to ban guns in some buildings.

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The policy, which will be voted on by the full board in January, requires individuals with concealed carry permits to keep their weapons on them or in a safe and secure storage device that blocks the gun from view.

State universities would be required to provide a list of the buildings that don’t allow guns, the reasoning for the weapons ban and the building’s corresponding security measures by June 2016.

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Administrators at Kansas University, where students, faculty and staff have said they want to repeal the law, said they are most concerned with weapons in dorm rooms, stadiums and buildings with volatile materials like science labs.

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