Public colleges in Idaho had no plans to arm their campus police force, but now they have no choice.
Idaho public colleges did not previously arm their campus officers. But Idaho State University director of public safety Steve Chatterton said equipping officers with guns has become necessary to “maintain a safe and secure campus environment” now that others are legally permitted to walk on campus with guns, Reuters reports. Boise State University is also seeking public funds to cover a program to arm its campus officers, at an estimated cost of $1 million per year.
I’m sure the state legislature will gladly give Boise State all the money they need to equip their officers; money which inevitably goes into the hands of the firearms industry.
Meanwhile, the only requirement for carrying a gun on a college campuses is taking an eight-hour class taught by the NRA.
See how that works? The firearms industry is working both angles of putting more guns on the street and the state legislature is the great enabler.
“I can say no cellphones, but apparently I can’t say no guns,” University of Idaho physics professor Francesca Sammarruca told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Shame.