Boston University will not allow students to carry weapons on campus under any circumstances, regardless of other colleges’ reactions to recent school shootings, police and administrators said.
BU Police Department Sgt. Jack St. Hilaire said despite proposed legislation that would allow concealed weapons on campuses in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and South Carolina, weapons are not appropriate for an academic environment.
“There are no pros to it,” St. Hilaire said. “Weapons should never be permitted to be carried on school property . . . because of the hazards involved it should never be allowed.”
The University of Utah has faced an ongoing conflict between its own and state rules regarding whether students have the right to carry concealed weapons on campus.
St. Hilaire said if students had been carrying guns during last year’s Virginia Tech massacre or the Feb. 14 shootings at Northern Illinois University, the death tolls would only have been higher.
“Should an incident occur like this at our university we have multiple agencies responding,” St. Hilaire said.
Concealing weapons on campus violates Massachusetts law and BU administrative policies, he said. Breaking these laws could lead to criminal punishment from the state and expulsion from the university.
“I want to emphasize to the student body that the best preventative measure is that if you see anyone suspicious, please call the Boston University Police Department,” St. Hilaire said.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said weapon policies on campus are not negotiable.
“We have had students who’ve had handguns and they’ve either been suspended or expelled given the circumstance,” he said.
For students who feel unsafe, Elmore suggested walking in groups and not venturing out at late hours without a plan or a distinct route in mind.
“We’ve got an Escort Security Service that people should use,” he said.
He also suggested female students enroll in BUPD’s Rape Aggression Defense classes.
“[A RAD class] does a lot to increase the power that an individual has and also gives them a little bit more confidence in their ability to think fast and remove themselves from situations that are potentially dangerous or bothersome,” he said.
“I’d also remind guys,” he said. “I would say to our male students, Don’t underestimate your need to do the same.”
BU spokesman Colin Riley said BU’s safety policies should help students to feel safe without need for guns.
“We have great safety and police patrols,” Riley said. “We have police patrols from the Boston police, the state police, the transit police and the BU police. There’s a very high presence of protection on campus.”
Steven Brady, a College of Arts and Sciences senior, said he thinks students carrying weapons is a “horrible idea” and could lead to additional tragedies.
“I think if somebody is having a bad day or if somebody’s depressed, if they have a gun already on them for protection or possession, they may do something they might not have already done it if they didn’t have a gun,” he said.
College of Communication freshman Benji Michaels echoed Brady’s sentiments.
Michaels said allowing students to carry guns is “an awful idea.”
“I feel like violence only begets more violence, and giving kids more guns and allowing them to have guns isn’t going to protect them against guns,” he said.
Michaels said he does what is reasonable for self protection.
“I know there’s been some attacks and break-ins, but I feel like I’m doing everything I can to make sure I don’t get attacked,” Michaels said. “I’m not walking alone at 3 in the morning somewhere I’m not familiar with.”
