Area lawmakers back guns on campus bill

Hi-Line lawmakers gave strong support to legislation that would allow guns on campus.

Sen. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, and Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, spoke on the Senate floor in favor of the legislation Wednesday. Sen. John Brenden, R-Scobey, was absent but voted by proxy in favor of the proposal.

In a preliminary vote, the Senate voted 25-24 for the measure. Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, was absent, and it wasn’t clear how he would vote when the bill comes up for final passage.

The bill would overturn a Montana University System Board of Regents rule and allow guns on campus.

Hansen said she didn’t imagine many women would want to carry weapons on campus, but they had a right to protect themselves.

"College campuses are full of dark pathways and large parking lots," said Hansen, a military veteran who is trained in weapons use. "I don't think there are a ton of women who want to carry a gun, but I do think there are some, and the Constitution gives them the right to do so."

She objected to suggestions that most college students frequently got drunk and were unable to handle guns responsibly.

Windy Boy was the only Democrat to speak in favor of the legislation.

He said studies have shown that women are less likely to be victims of domestic abuse if they are armed.

Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, said he was certain Hansen, who was trained in the military, would be able to responsibly use weapons in a crisis. But most people would not, he said,

If there is an event like a mass shooting on campus, armed people would more often than not, make the situation worse.

He feared that during the chaos of mass shooting, police would mistake a good guy with a gun for the perpetrator.

If Jones votes for the bill, and it passes, it will move to the Montana House. Should the House pass the legislation, it faces almost certain veto by Gov. Steve Bullock, who struck down a similar measure last year.

(Associated Press material was used in this story.)