Sponsor: Proposed ‘Guns on Campus’ Bill Will Not Pass in House
Frankfort, Ky.–A bill sponsored by a Republican representative in Kentucky, which would have allowed many students to carry concealed guns on campus, will not pass the GOP-controlled Kentucky House of Representatives. The bill, House Bill 542, aimed to prevent public higher education institutions in the state from barring people over 21 from carrying concealed weapons on campuses.
Currently, schools have the power to set these rules, and none allow guns on their campuses. However, the bill failed to gain traction, and was passed over for two days before the sponsor announced it did not have enough votes to pass. The Kentucky Council on Post-Secondary Education opposed the bill.
The representative, Savannah Maddox, has filed four bills this session to expand access to firearms in the state. Maddox has criticized the establishment of “gun-free zones” at post-secondary schools, and believes more guns in the hands of students, not fewer, will keep campuses safer amid an increasing proliferation of school shootings. However, the bill failed to gain enough support, and was not voted on.
Photo: Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, sponsored HB 542. (LRC PIO)
