As the state of Ohio and the nation mourn the loss of three students’ lives at the hands of one of their former classmates — a boy who felt so outcast, so ostensibly on the fringe, his only perceived means of crying for help was through the barrel of a gun — the state of Arizona attempts to come to a conclusion on Senate Bill 1474, the guns on campus bill.
Wednesday’s fiscal impact study showed costs associated with implementing safety training, gun storage lockers in public buildings, and modifications to infrastructure, among other expenses the legislation necessitates would cost $13.3 million up front and $3.1 million annually.
The East Valley Tribune reported ABOR’s cost study estimated ASU would need $4.7 million the first year, with an additional $1.9 million in operating costs each year after.
The debate has gone back and forth. Here at The State Press, we have addressed the bill in our editorial and opinion columns. We’ve covered its progress, attempted to gauge a student reaction and aimed to inform the University community on potential outcomes and effects if the bill were to be passed. The consensus that we’ve come to on all fronts is: If we’re going to do it at all (pass the bill), we’ve got to do it right.
We would need gun-lockers, more police officers, University staff to operate and maintain building checkpoints, safety training, University staff employed to draft new policies and procedures to accommodate the bill — and ABOR has decided the price tag for all of this reads in the millions of dollars — money that our state, our schools and our taxpayers simply do not have.
SB 1474 has been met with fierce opposition from ABOR, the presidents of each state university, the police departments and student governments of each state university, the surrounding community and almost anyone who would actually be affected by its mandate. There are much more beneficial and necessary ways to be spending such exuberant amounts of money. Imagine what a difference your tuition bill would see if an additional $13.3 million were allocated to such expenses.
Tensions are high in Arizona. Students are crying out that tuition is too expensive and universities are bemoaning the continual decline in state funding. Citizens, voters and Arizonans have yet to agree on immigration, health care or any other issue in between.
Taking all of this tension into account, is passing legislation that would force universities to allow weapons on campus necessary, safe, affordable, important or in any sense of the phrase, a good idea?
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