Depending on the outcome of Senate Bill 308, concealed weapons could be allowed on the grounds of the University of West Georgia.

Some students, faculty and staff, including the school president, however, have expressed concerns about the legislation.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, R-Sharpsburg, is currently being reviewed by the Georgia House of Representatives.

The legislation would give the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents the option of banning weapons on campus, but UWG Police Chief Tom Mackel does not think the law is needed or clear. He said allowing students or staff to carry concealed weapons would not make for a safer campus.

“What happens then when someone brings a gun on campus? Is it a matter of policy violations or did they break the law?” Mackel asked. “I think there would be many more deaths as a result.”

He said alcohol can lead to physical fights. If a student is allowed to have a concealed gun, the fight could lead to a shooting.

Students battling depression would also have easier access to guns, he said.

Seabaugh said he was trying to arrange a meeting at UWG to speak with faculty about the law. Mackel said a meeting would be appreciated.

“There is a great deal of concern with the faculty on campus,” he said.

While gun permits check for criminal and psychiatric records, psychiatric records are not all assembled in one location. With the time requirements in place to approve gun permits, it is not possible to check each psychiatric hospital for records on every application, Mackel said.

“And just because you have a gun permit, doesn’t mean you know how to use it,” he said. “It’s easy to shoot a gun; it’s harder to learn when to shoot it.”

Seabaugh said that about 400,000 people have permits to carry a gun in the state of Georgia. He said Georgia is one of two states that has a 1,000-foot protection zone around campuses.

“A license to carry a firearm is not a license to commit a crime. ... The people who have licenses to carry firearms are not the ones committing random acts of violence,” he said. “They consider it a privilege and they’re not going to do anything to jeopardize that privilege.”

If a university decides to enact a policy prohibiting guns on campus, the guns would be checked with the campus police, Seabaugh said. If a person does have a gun, they can be ordered off the property. If they still refuse to leave, they can be charged with criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor charge that can result in up to a year in jail.

“People with licenses are allowed to carry guns into banks and shopping malls,” he said. “Where are the problems happening there? There are none.”

Alan Webster, UWG Student Government Association president, believes people not knowing how to properly use a gun will lead to a accidental death on campus within a decade.

“I am a card-carrying Republican, a pronounced member of the National Rifle Association and a proud gun owner,” he said. “In no way, shape or form do I think that my Second Amendment rights are being infringed when I am not allowed to carry concealed weapons on a college campus.”

He believes the legislation should strengthen the requirements to get a weapon. Not having a criminal background is not enough to prove a person would know how to use a gun responsibly, he said.

“I hate political debate, but everyone I’ve talked to about this has been persuaded to my view,” Webster said. “Yes, you can carry your gun everywhere and so can I. And so can anyone else, even if they don’t know how to use them.”