Anti-gun bill fails to pass student senate

University of Memphis student senate was one vote shy of passing a controversial anti-gun bill Thursday.

 The bill attempted to speak on behalf of the U of M student body by saying “that the students do not support Guns on Campus Bill.â€

 The Guns on Campus Bill is working its way through the Tennessee legislature. If passed, it will allow employees of any state college or university to carry a concealed gun on campus provided they also had a Tennessee gun permit.

Some members of U of M’s student government responded by writing a bill against the Tennessee bill. Student government does not have the power to stop the Tennessee legislature, but they hoped to show that university students did not want the Guns on Campus Bill to pass.

Student senators Birjush Kumar and Kenny Faulk were behind the proposed student bill that served as a protest against the state government’s bill.

“Police are the ones who are assigned to protect, so if they are failing, we need to solve that problem,†Kumar said. “If you are looking for a solution, you need to get to the root cause and fix that.â€

But when the opposition bill hit student senate, only seven senators voted in favor of the bill, one vote short of meeting a majority. Four senators voted in against and four abstained.

 Kumar, co-sponsor of the bill, left before voting began, so it is possible that the bill could have passed. 

 Even though the student bill nearly passed, this was a victory for Students for Concealed Carry, said Stuart M. Dedmon, 22, U of M student and state director of the organization.

 “We are a non-partisan group, but we know that most people on campus tend to lean left, which means they don’t necessarily support concealed carry,†Dedmon said. “I consider this a victory.â€Â 

 Before the student bill was voted on in senate, Dedmon spoke to SGA about the goals of Students for Concealed Carry. He said students and faculty that have a carry permits do not pose a threat to college campuses.

 “There are actually nine states that have already passed this, and in all of those states there have been absolutely no issues as far as a spike in crime,†he said.

 During the 2015 legislative session, Texas' legislature passed the bill, making it the most recent of the nine states that permit guns on campus. The legislation will take effect in August 2016.

 “We believe students who have their permit and are allowed to carry and conceal in other parts of the state should be able to do the same on campus and have the same level of protection like those other states.â€

 Many of the student senators present discussed the pros and the cons of the proposed bill before voting.

 Ashley Courtney, a sophomore senator, said she is for the state bill passing and thinks all students and faculty would benefit from it.

 “As a woman, I feel like when I’m walking in the parking lot and someone is trying to attack me I can’t be like ‘Oh hold on don’t rob me, let me call police services first,’†she said. “I would feel a lot safer knowing I could reach in my bag and have a weapon.â€

 Because the proposed student bill did not pass with a majority vote, it will likely be brought up again on March 25, the last student senate meeting of the semester.