School shootings seemingly have become an epidemic in United States, from the Columbine massacre to the Newton, Conn., massacre and most recently the Lone Star College shooting near Houston.
No one was killed in the shootings on the campus of Lone Star College, but the incident again raises national concern and questions about gun control in schools.
Grambling State University Chief of Police Michael Storr plans to continue to enforce the gun laws right here at GSU, in hopes of keeping the campus safe for students, faculty and staff.
“It is very important that everyone is safe and is able to go home to their families at the end of the day, said Storr. So it is up to us to look out for anything that is unusual,”
There is a zero tolerance for possession of a firearm on Grambling’s campus and if caught with weapon there will be major penalties.
“We will enforce state laws of Louisiana and the policies and procedures of Grambling state University,” said Storr. “The consequences are under the state law and you will be arrested.”
According to the Student Handbook on Pages 53-54, Section O, “Carrying a firearm or dangerous weapon by a student or non-student on campus property, at campus sponsored functions, or in a firearm-free zone is unlawful and violators shall be subject to criminal charges and campus discipline as stated in the University of Louisiana System, Board of Supervisors’ ‘Weapons on Campus Policy.’
It continues: “Possession of a firearm, when in violation of the state laws, the University of Louisiana Systems policy, or university policy, shall be grounds for suspension, or expulsion from the university.”
“This is a problem that is on the national level right now,” Storr said, “and it is very important to govern by the rules of the state. And what the policies are as far as weapons on campus and whatever the state has put down as the law, that is what we are going to follow here at Grambling State university.”
While the United States continues its debate facing the issues of gun control, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is seeking a law that will keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill while allowing other citizens to own weapons, according to The News-Star.
“Too often, both in Louisiana and in states across the nation, the mentally ill are slipping through the cracks and getting lost in the system,” Jindal said in a statement to the Monroe-based paper.