Most of the other state colleges, along with Brigham Young University, run by
the Mormon church, also prohibit guns on campus, but Machen has gone out front
in the debate, declaring he's willing to go to court to keep guns out of the
university. The university's gun ban applies to students and teachers, but not
to visitors.
"I hold out some hope that we could be found to be not in defiance of the law,"
Machen said in an interview at his office near the Olympic Village, where
thousands of athletes and coaches are residing during the Games. "But our view
is that having guns around would challenge the very nature of dialogue on
campus, where the passionate defense of ideas is sort of the hallmark of what
we're all about."
Those arguing in favor of upholding the law, which lets holders of
concealed-weapon permits carry guns nearly anywhere, say university leaders miss
the point when they frame the issue around free academic debate.
What they should be considering is the safety of teachers and students who often
walk to their cars late at night, who feel safer with a gun to defend
themselves, said Janalee Tobias, president of Women Against Gun Control.
"Right now, with the Olympics, there's chain-link fences up everywhere and
helicopters hovering overhead and soldiers running around with guns. I think
you're pretty safe right now," Tobias said. "But what about later? They actually
think they can wave this magic wand and crime will just magically disappear. I
have a question for Bernie Machen: Why are there so many emergency phone booths
up there if the University of Utah is such a safe place?"
Utah ranks 12th lowest in the nation in violent crime.
Matt Boyden, a third-year law student who helped organize the College of Law Gun
Rights Advocates, said students long felt the university's ban on guns was
illegal under Utah law.
"It's a two-edged sword. From his [the university president] perspective, he
thinks if professors or students knew there were students who were concealing
firearms, they might not be at liberty to speak freely. But the Catch-22 is,
those students who carry may feel like they can't speak freely if you take away
the power to defend themselves," Boyden said.
Until the mid-1990s, Utah had fewer than 1,000 citizens with concealed-weapon
permits. Then, like many other states, Utah changed its laws in 1995 to qualify
most law-abiding citizens for a permit. Now, about 42,000 state residents, or 3%
of the adult population, are licensed to carry concealed firearms. They cannot
carry guns in secured areas such as airports, courthouses and jails.
They are subject to background checks, fingerprinting, training requirements and
regular law enforcement checks. Permits are declined for those who have been
convicted of drunken driving, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, felonies or violent
misdemeanors, as well as those who have been judged mentally incompetent.
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