Check your guns at the door
Old west weapons policy aims to keep campus safe
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Housed within the darkened command center of the University of Maine Public Safety office, behind the circus of lights emanating from the dispatch control panel, there exists a room that would send Bugs Bunny running for the rabbit hole.
Inside, an array of shotguns and rifles are stacked on racks reaching from the floor to the ceiling, with handguns and ammunition on a nearby metal shelf. They are all located behind a standard, wooden closet door, distinguished only by a small sign that reads “student weapons.”
This is not a collection of confiscated items locked away in the evidence locker. As is the case with many rural college campuses around the country, official UMaine policy allows individuals to store weapons at the police station. While the language of the policy more specifically targets projectile weapons, the storage room has held a bit of everything, including a small collection of Celtic swords and surplus police firearms.
While the state constitution states a citizen’s right to “keep and bear arms shall never be questioned,” approval from the state legislature gives university police the right to regulate weapons on campus. UMaine police chief Noel March insists the restrictions are not about taking away the rights of citizens, but are aimed at ensuring a safe collegiate environment.
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Old west weapons policy aims to keep campus safe
Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
Housed within the darkened command center of the University of Maine Public Safety office, behind the circus of lights emanating from the dispatch control panel, there exists a room that would send Bugs Bunny running for the rabbit hole.
Inside, an array of shotguns and rifles are stacked on racks reaching from the floor to the ceiling, with handguns and ammunition on a nearby metal shelf. They are all located behind a standard, wooden closet door, distinguished only by a small sign that reads “student weapons.”
This is not a collection of confiscated items locked away in the evidence locker. As is the case with many rural college campuses around the country, official UMaine policy allows individuals to store weapons at the police station. While the language of the policy more specifically targets projectile weapons, the storage room has held a bit of everything, including a small collection of Celtic swords and surplus police firearms.
While the state constitution states a citizen’s right to “keep and bear arms shall never be questioned,” approval from the state legislature gives university police the right to regulate weapons on campus. UMaine police chief Noel March insists the restrictions are not about taking away the rights of citizens, but are aimed at ensuring a safe collegiate environment.
READ MORE