Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed a law Saturday that bars law-abiding, licensed citizens from carrying guns on campuses in California for self-defense.
Brown signed the ban just over a week after unarmed students in gun-free facilities at Umpqua Community College (UCC) were shot and killed by a criminal who did not have to worry about victims being able to shoot back.
Breitbart News previously reported that California’s ban on guns on campuses contained an exemption that allowed concealed carry permit holders to carry guns for self-defense. State senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) pushed Senate Bill 707 to end the exemption by claiming that concealed permits are too easy to get in California, thereby intimating that the process for getting a concealed license–a process that includes an extensive background check–is not sufficient.
The Davis Enterprise quoted Wolk saying:
As concealed weapons permits are becoming more prevalent and easier to obtain, campus public safety officials need more authority to regulate them on campus grounds. This bill provides that increased authority where it belongs, with those trained and responsible for ensuring the safety of our students, teachers and staff.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Brown signed Wolk’s bill on Saturday but added no comment. With his signature, “California joins nineteen other states that have banned campus carry,” the Bee noted.
Meanwhile, campus carry is legal in 8 states, including Oregon. Although in Oregon, community colleges are allowed to set their own rules, UCC chose to remain a gun free zone after a debate over gun policy in 2014. UCC went so far as to maintain a gun-free security force on campus as well–which meant the security guard was unarmed when Chris Harper Mercer stormed campus and opened fire.
Current and retired police officers are not covered by the concealed carry gun ban Brown signed in California.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.