Vice President for Student Affairs David Shields issued via email to the UNA student body the proclamation that “UNA is, and remains, a weapons free campus.”

This decision is in response to uncertainty surrounding new legislation issued by the state of Alabama granting open carry rights to legal license holders. 

“(The new legislation) didn’t give universities and colleges, and frankly a lot of people, a clear definition about what areas can be excluded (from the legislation),” Shields said in an interview after the email was sent. 

UNA President William Cale said the same in his email to faculty and staff. 

“There is a strong consensus that weapons of any kind have no place in a learning community, but it is not clear whether the new law provides the option to forbid firearms on college and university campuses,” he said.

The decision to remain loyal to the student conduct policy is a result of a series of debates at the university and state levels. Shields and Cale, along with Chief of Police Bob Pastula, have met several times to discuss options, and Shields said the meetings could likely carry over into the coming school year.

“As it stands right now, it is the policy of the university that no weapons are allowed on campus,” Pastula said. “I’m pretty sure that’s going to stand.”

The policy, which forbids firearms, is found in the police department policy and procedures, which applies to faculty, staff, students and visitors. The policy was emailed last week to every enrolled student.

“We believe, under the power the legislation gave us as a university, that we have the authority to create policies that serve the best interest of the institution,” Shields said.

The new law is specific, however, to K-12 campuses, which are to remain weapons-free.

 Additionally, the law provides that athletic events may be posted as weapons-free.

“The Alabama law does not change our policy at all,” Shields said. 

Shields said by the time school is in session, signs indicating the no-tolerance policy will be posted at every entrance to the campus and in every building and residence hall entrance. In addition, the policy will be explained to students moving into residence halls during their mandatory floor meetings. 

“It will be very hard for a person coming to UNA not to know that we are a weapons-free campus,” Shields said.

In the event that a student is found to be carrying a gun or other weapon, he or she will answer to the  student conduct office. Though not punishable by state law, Shields said it is a violation of the university guns-free policy set in place since 1992. The individual would be subject to penalty up to suspension from the university, he said.

“This is not a law enforcement issue; it’s a code of conduct issue,” Pastula said. “Unless they use (the gun) for a crime, they will not be arrested, but deferred to code of conduct.”

From that point, the procedure would be the same as in the past: the weapon confiscated by university police, the case referred to student code of conduct and the offender subject to punishment up to suspension from the university. 

Shields said since the passing of the new legislation there have been no challenges.

One particular area of uncertainty is whether faculty and staff will be allowed to keep firearms in their vehicles. The legislation provides that faculty and staff, as employees of the university, could reserve the right to store firearms in their vehicles while parked on campus.

“The law says that employers cannot or may not be able to prevent (storing firearms in vehicles),” Shields said. “We are still trying to decide if that is applicable to us.”