NIC reiterates opposition to gun bill

BOISE— North Idaho College President Joe Dunlap on Monday reiterated NIC’s opposition to state legislation to create new exemptions for carrying guns on Idaho’s college and university campuses.

The NIC Board of Trustees last week voted to oppose the measure— Senate Bill 1254.

And Dunlap emphasized that NIC wants to retain local control of its campus firearms policy.

“This is a litmus test for local control,” Dunlap said.  

During a afternoon news conference here Monday, Dunlap was joined by the presidents of Idaho’s seven other college and universities in a wall of opposition to the bill.

The unanimous opposition of Idaho’s higher education presidents to SB1254 came after the State Board of Education on Monday morning voted 6-0 to oppose it.

A full hearing on the measure at the Idaho Legislature in Boise has been scheduled for Feb. 12 in the Senate State Affairs Committee— the bill’s sponsor and committee chair Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa, said Monday

“The colleges of Idaho have taken a position to oppose Senate Bill 1254 introduced by Sen. Curt McKenzie of Nampa,” Dunlap noted. “This position is supported by our boards of trustees, as well as staff faculty and students who support current policies that do not allow guns on campus.”

An NIC spokesman last week said the Lake City community college already has a no-carry policy for guns on campus.

“The colleges of Idaho currently have longstanding locally-developed policies that do not allow guns on campus,” Dunlap said. “Senate Bill 1254 significantly erodes a basic Idaho value— and that is that local control of government.”

SB1254 would allow certain licensed persons, including individuals who have an enhanced concealed weapons permits and retired law enforcement personnel to carry firearms on Idaho college and university campuses.

“Safety would not be enhanced by increasing the number of concealed carry weapons on campus,” said University of Idaho interim president Don Burnett.

A campus carry bill which was similar to SB1254 died at the Idaho Legislature in 2011 after college and university officials testified against the measure.

“Senate Bill 1254 is another attempt at the failed 2011 proposed legislation that many pro-Second Amendment supporters continue to think is a bad idea, from its unsupported premise to its flawed implementation,” Dunlap said.  

In addition to NIC and the UI, the presidents of Boise State University, Idaho State University, the College of Western Idaho, the College of Southern Idaho, Eastern Idaho Technical College oppose SB1254, Burnett said.