Campus Carry Takes Effect in Georgia and Kansas

Campus carry for self-defense on public college and university campuses is now legal in Georgia and Kansas.

The laws took effect in both states on July 1, which means law-abiding students who already meet the states’ thresholds to carry a gun for self-defense at restaurants, department stores, and gas stations can carry guns for self-defense while at school too.

Breitbart News reported that Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed campus carry legislation on May 4, 2017.

Georgia Carry’s Jerry Henry spoke to Breitbart News at the time of the signing, saying, “We are happy to see the campus carry bill signed into law. It now means there is one less place for criminals to literally pick their victims simply by determining where they are standing or walking.

“As with all good firearm legislation, this is one more place where the playing field is now level. Event though there are several places on campus that are still off limits, the crook will still face the possibility of putting themselves in harm’s way when attacking persons on campuses who may now be armed.”

The path to the effective date for campus carry in Kansas was far more circuitous. The legislation was signed by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) in 2013, but colleges and universities were given four years to put security in place on buildings which they wanted to declare gun-free. Such security measures included metal detectors at doors and armed security. The point of requiring such measures was to ensure that the school protected law-abiding citizens after disarming them.

But as July 1, 2017, drew close, few colleges and universities announced gun-free zones. Instead, many such as Wichita State University published rules for legally carrying a gun for self-defense on campus. KWCH reports that Wichita State’s rules say:

• In order to have a concealed weapon on a college campus, a person must by 21 years or older and the weapon should be concealed on or about the person at all times.
• Concealed carry is allowed in all university buildings except beyond the police department’s lobby unless adequate security measures are put in place.
• WSU may designate a specific location as temporarily gun-free, such as athletics or commencement events where attendance is more than 5,000.
• Each person who lawfully possesses a handgun on campus is responsible for carrying, storing and using that handgun in a safe manner. The concealed weapon may not be carried where the university provides adequate security measures.

The bottom line is that law-abiding students in Georgia and Kansas can now shoot back, should an attacker take his chances in a public college or university classroom. And if the experience of other campus carry states is any indicator, attackers will bypass armed campuses in Georgia and Kansas for others in states that do not allow law-abiding students to be armed for self-defense.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.