No weapons possession arrests for three years

The 2013 Clery Report, released Sept. 30, showed that no arrests have been made for weapons possession — neither carrying without a permit or for attempting to conceal an illegal weapon — since two in 2010.

The only offense involving a gun this year has been a judicial referral, said Chief of University Police Bob Pastula. 

Police confiscated a gun from a student who was legally licensed to carry because of his job on March 3. The weapon was concealed, and Pastula said the individual had forgotten to take off his weapon before entering campus.

“(The offender) was a security guard who had just gotten off work,” Pastula said.

The case will appear as an illegal weapons violation on next year’s report, Pastula said.

The offender was not arrested because he was carrying the gun in a non-malicious manner, Pastula said.

“We take every situation by circumstance,” he said.

The weapons policy strictly forbids gun carry on campus. Violations to the policy are handled by university police and are accounted for in the Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report, also known as the Clery Report.

“Carrying deadly weapons, concealed or openly,” or even an attempt to do so, violates university law and can justify arrest, according to the report.

The Clery Report does, however, account for four non-arrest illegal weapons violations in 2012. When the offender is not arrested, the incident is filed as an “Illegal Weapons Violation.”

These cases involve forbidden weapons of any kind — not just guns — and were referred to Judicial for disciplinary action, according to the report.

Whether or not they agree with the policy in effect, students Jacob Dawson and Jesse Pope said they are aware of its stipulations.

Campus police are responsible for setting clear policies in place, while students have a responsibility to follow them and prepare for the worst-case scenario, Dawson said.

“We need to prepare by asking people how they would respond if they witnessed someone carrying a gun,” he said. “We can’t rely on the police to do everything for us.

Pope has held a gun license since he turned 18 several months ago, and his father is a gun dealer. He knows and 

follows the weapons policy but said he wishes concealed carry was an option.

“If you go to the effort of going through all the steps of getting licensed to legally carry, I absolutely think the person should have that right on campus, too,” he said.