Everytown, Arkansas Moms Demand Action Denounce Senate Judiciary Committee Advancing Bill That Would Force Colleges to Allow Guns on Campus

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the statement below in response to the Senate Judiciary Committee passage of HB 1249, which would force Arkansas’ public colleges and universities to allow staff members to carry hidden, loaded handguns on campus – including in classrooms, offices and at most campus events. Nationwide, polling shows that 95 percent of college presidents and 94 percent of college faculty oppose guns on campus.

STATEMENT FROM AUSTIN BAILEY, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE ARKANSAS CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“Our college campuses are not hotbeds of criminal activity – they’re sanctuaries for learning, and they’re overwhelmingly safe. When it comes to safety on college campuses, we should listen to the people who actually work and live on college campuses, and they don’t want this bill to pass. It’s frustrating to once again watch university presidents and campus law enforcement tell our legislators that HB 1249 is a dangerous idea and have their resounding opposition to this legislation be ignored. The committee should have put the safety of our students and campus professionals ahead of special interests.”