Student Protests Continue Over Alabama Concealed Carry

Students who support concealed carry on campus are not giving up. A group, Students for Concealed Carry at the University of South Alabama, are planning an empty holster protest for October.

The group says allowing students to concealed carry on campus is important for the general safety of themselves and others, and because it’s a Second Amendment right, that right shouldn’t end when they step on campus.

“Our right to conceal carry should not stop when we walk on to an institution for higher education,” said Aaron Etheredge.

During the first week of October, the group will be walking around campus with empty holsters. “What we really want them to do is get them to open their mind a little bit,” said Tori Blackmon, a member of the group. The group says they hope their action will “spark conversation” with classmates and show the university that there is a lot of support for this issue.

The university sent FOX10 News a written statement on the issue. It reads, “The University of South Alabama complies with state law regarding firearms. USA supports the rights of our students to express their opinions, however, the university does not support an expansion of the presence of firearms on campus.”

Currently, no students are allowed to carry or store guns on campus. Employees with proper concealed carry permits are allowed to keep them in their locked vehicles, but they are not allowed to carry them on campus. The debate on allowing students to carry guns on campus is also taking place in Texas. Recently, a group of professors at University of Texas in Austin requested that a ban on the right to carry firearms into classrooms at the school be implemented before school started this fall. A judge denied that request.