Campus gun laws: Students can carry, guards can’t

There is a lot of confusion on Central Oregon Community’s campus about whether you’re allowed to carry a gun on school grounds.

Stickers on the doors of the Boyle Education Center inform students about the campus’ gun policy.

“I know there is a sign on the door that says no firearms or weapons allowed in the building,” COCC student Kelly Farrell said Wednesday.

Another student, Curtis Jensen, said, “You can have firearms at OSU-Cascades as long as you have a concealed-carry permit. Oh, wait — you can have them here, but not at OSU-Cascades.”

OSU-Cascades officially states that it does not allow any guns on its property, but that goes against the Oregon Revised Statute.

“The basic policy (at COCC) is that guns are not allowed on campus,” said COCC spokesman Ron Paradis.

That is, unless you have a concealed-carry permit.

“I did not know that,” Farrell said.

On COCC’s website, the question, “I have a concealed weapons permit. Can I carry my firearm on campus?” is answered with several paragraphs. It starts by saying: “No person – including students, employees, or other visitors – may bring, possess, conceal, brandish, use or be in possession of a firearm (…)”

It also says: “The college strongly discourages the possession of firearms on campus (…)”

“However, we do follow the ORS,” Paradis said, “which does say that if you have a concealed weapons permit, and follow the rules of the concealed weapons permit, that you’re allowed to carry again.”

While students on campus are allowed to carry, the COCC public safety officers are not.

“The statute does not allow us to provide training in weapons usage for community college public safety officers,” Paradis said.

Farrell said, “That’s a little disappointing to me.”

“To me, that doesn’t make any sense — why they don’t have any weapons?” said COCC student Akeda Marcano.

Jensen said, “If civilians are allowed to have a concealed weapon on campus at COCC, I think that obviously a safety officer who has been hired to protect us should have something.”

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