During an August 31 SEC football coaches’ teleconference, University of Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said he does not allow players on his football team to own a handgun, even if they possess a “legal permit” for it.
According to The Montgomery Advertiser, gun policies for players at SEC schools vary, but Stoops made it clear that he prohibits his players at Kentucky from owning handguns.
Stoops said, “We do not allow any handguns.”
He added:
I’ve made it very clear to them that I do not want them owning a handgun, even if they have a legal permit for it. They obviously can never have a handgun on campus, but I make it my policy to tell them no guns and come explain to me why they may need a gun because we definitely should not need a gun living in Lexington, Kentucky. So, that’s my policy
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn also voiced opposition to his players owning handguns, but did not say whether his opposition reflects actual policy. However, his opposition did align with Stoops’ in that it included handguns for which there was a permit.
The Advertiser asked Malzahn if his no-handgun preference included “legally licensed handguns” and he responded by saying, “correct.”
The coaches at Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State said their team policies “[restrict]…players from having handguns or ‘weapons’ as a part of being a member of the football program.”
On August 31 the Advertiser’s Matthew Stevens tweeted that University of Missouri head coach Barry Obom does not allow his players to “legally own a handgun” while playing for him.
https://twitter.com/matthewcstevens/status/771019493908815873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The next day the university issued a clarification and explained that the handgun prohibition is against “illegal” weapons.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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