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Associated Student Government University of Arkansas ASG Senate Resolution No. 36 Author: RIC Senator Joe Youngblood Sponsors: Senator Shaelyn Vinson, Senator Amy West, Senator Cathryn Fleener A Resolution to Affirm the Right to Self-Defense on the University of Arkansas Campus Whereas, Whereas, The University of Arkansas is a gun-free zone as mandated by state law and university policy; and Since 1950, every mass shooting of innocent citizens in the United States of America, with a single exception, has occurred in inappropriately labeled gun-free zones (1); and Current events and recent history provide incontrovertible evidence that designating an area gun-free does not deter an individual with the intent to commit criminal activity from illegally carrying a firearm onto campus; and Current policies against the lawful carry of concealed weapons on campus constitute a governmental and university guarantee that any potential victims are unarmed and that criminals may prey upon the student body, faculty, staff, and guests at will and completely unopposed; and Students, professors, and staff of the University of Arkansas, who teach, study, work, and live on campus on a daily basis, are forced to be unarmed and defenseless under current university policy; and The college and city police departments are by necessity and their very nature reactive, not proactive entities, and cannot effectively safeguard all within the University at all times as proven by the numerous crimes that occur on and around campus every semester; and The University of Arkansas written policy seeks disciplinary action against students, faculty, and staff who attempt to exercise their otherwise statewide license to carry concealed weapons lawfully in accordance with existing laws; and As stated in Arkansas Attorney General Opinion 2003-372 (2), concealed carry is permitted on the property of all public
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Whereas,

Whereas,

Whereas,

Whereas,

Whereas,

Whereas,

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universities under Arkansas law, but individual universities may adopt their own written policies to allow or ban persons with a valid concealed handgun license to carry on the grounds of their respective campus; and Whereas, Over 200 Campuses in the United States, in 6 states, allow concealed carry on campus and have yet to experience a single resultant loss of life, injury from a lawfully carried firearm, criminal misuse of a legal firearm, or suicide by legally carried firearm despite hundreds of consecutive semesters of allowing concealed carry(3); and As per Arkansas Code 5-73-301, Arkansas' concealed handgun license holders undergo an extensive screening process, including: State and Federal background checks for both criminal and psychiatric records, attending an 8+ hour training course dealing with topics such as conflict resolution and handgun safety, passing an exam on the course material, passing a firearm qualification test administered by a state licensed training instructor, demonstrating proficiency with their weapon, and being over twenty-one years of age, among many other requirements; and Because of such standards, concealed handgun license holders are some of the most law-abiding people in the country, with a study of licenses issued by the State of Florida finding that concealed carriers are 300 times less likely to commit a crime involving a firearm than the general population (4); and A strong correlation between the passage of concealed carry laws and a resultant decline of criminal offenses such as rape, robbery, burglary, and murder has been well documented. These studies have found that persons who defend themselves with a firearm are less likely to be attacked or to suffer an injury than those who used any other methods of self-protection or those who did not resist at all(5); and The average number of fatalities in a mass shooting stopped by police is over 14 persons, but only 2.3 when stopped by a lawful concealed carrier (6) ;and In a recent attempted mass shooting at a mall in Clackamas, Oregon, a lawful concealed carrier drew his firearm on the shooter and stopped the rampage without firing a single shot(7); and
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Whereas,

Whereas,

Whereas,

Whereas,

Whereas,

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Whereas,

Recent simulations by a former Department of Homeland Security Risk Analyst and a national level firearms training institute revealed that, in the event of a school shooting, concealed carriers in a locked down classroom were 100% effective in denying an active shooter entry to the room, but similarly locked down classrooms without a lawful carrier inside were breached at will by the suspect(8); and An individual who is over the age of twenty-one and licensed by the State of Arkansas to carry virtually everywhere else should be able to responsibly concealed carry on campus; and Seeing a need for self-preservation against mass shooters, criminals, rapists, and violently mentally unstable persons, we seek change in state law and University of Arkansas policy; then In accordance with state law, and thenAttorney General Mike Beebe's decision in Arkansas Attorney General Opinion 2003-372 (2), the Associated Student Government, on behalf of the students of the University of Arkansas, calls for a change to written policy of the University of Arkansas to allow students, faculty, staff, and guests with a valid concealed handgun license the right to legally carry their weapons for self-defense on University of Arkansas property; and The Associated Student Government, on behalf of the students of the University of Arkansas, calls upon the legislature of the State of Arkansas, as well as the leadership of the University of Arkansas, to change current law and university policy to allow students, faculty, staff, and guests with a valid concealed handgun license the right to lawfully concealed carry within buildings and residence halls, and to rescind all policies seeking disciplinary action against students, faculty, and staff who concealed carry but are otherwise in accordance with state law; and Copies of this legislation shall be presented to members of the Arkansas Legislature and to
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Whereas,

Whereas,

Be it therefore resolved:

Be it further resolved:

Be it further resolved:

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the leadership of the University of Arkansas System. Official Use Only Amendments: Vote Count: Aye Legislation Status: Passed Nay Failed Abstentions Other

___________________________ Mike Norton, ASG Chair of the Senate ___________________________ Tori Pohlner, ASG President

________________ Date ________________ Date

Sources: 1: Kopel, David. "Pretend Gun Free Zones: A Deadly Legal Fiction." Connecticut Law Review. Volume 42. (2009): 517-584. Print; Fund, John. "The Facts About Mass Shootings." National Review. 16 Dec 2012: n. page. Web. 22 Jan. 2013. 2: Attorney General Beebe, Mike. "Opinion No. 2003-372."23 Dec 2003. Print. <http://ag.arkansas.gov/opinions/docs/2003-372.html>. 3: Burnett, David. "SCC's Response." Students for Concealed Carry. Students for Concealed Carry, 13 Nov 2012. Web. 15 Jan 2013. <http://concealedcampus.org/2012/11/scc-response/ 4: Kopel, David. "Laboratories of Democracy." Hoover Institution. n. page. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. <http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/article/7276 5: Rep. Stearns, Cliff. "Concealed Carry Permits are Life Sacers." Human Events . Human Events, 13 Nov 2012. Web. 15 Jan 2013. <http://www.humanevents.com/2009/01/26/concealed-carry-permitsare-life-savers/>. 6: Barker, Davi. "Auditing Shooting Rampage Statistics." Examiner. Examiner.com, 13 Nov 2012. Web. 15 Jan 2013. <http://www.examiner.com/article/auditing-shooting-rampagestatistics>. 7: Benner, Mike. "Clackamas mall shooter faced man with concealed weapon." KGW News: News Channel 8 Portland, OR. News Channel 8: Portland Oregon. Web. 15 Jan 2013. <http://www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-man-armed-confronts-mallshooter-183593571.html>. 8: Leghorn, Nick. "TTAG Simulated School Shooting Experiment Results and Analysis." TheTruthAboutGuns.com. The Truth About Guns, 07 Jan 2013.
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Web. 15 Jan 2013. <http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/01/foghorn/ttag-simulatedschool-shooting-experiment-results-and-analysis/>.