Proposed bill would allow concealed guns on UNC campuses

Rep. Kyle Hall, R-Rockingham, filed a bill Thursday that, if passed, would make it legal for people to carry concealed weapons on any of the 17 University of North Carolina campuses or at a community college.

"I see this as not only a protection issues, but I see this as a constitutional issue," Hall said Friday.

Some students say they wouldn't carry themselves, but they wouldn't mind if the bill is passed.

"I feel very safe on campus. I don't see any need," said Colin Crowel, a student at UNC-Chapel Hill. "So, individually I wouldn't, but that's is up to the individual's discretion."

Some other students were not fond of the proposal.

"I think weapons on campus in general is not a good idea because, in my mind, it would incite more conflict than it would really resolve," said UNC-Chapel Hill student Rob Rodgers.

"I think it's not just about them. I think you have to think about it as a majority, and especially for certain populations, I just think it's not the best idea," said Mikeaka Roberson, a UNC-Chapel Hill student.

Currently, 17 states ban carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming.

There are eight states that allow it: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.

While it is very early on in the process, Hall said he hopes North Carolina is next.

"I don't believe that anybody's constitutional rights end by simply walking onto a college campus," Hall said.