A 25-year-old man was arrested Sunday for bringing a gun on campus after an anonymous tipster reported him to police.
A woman told police she saw a man drop a gun from his waistband on the University Center lawn, according to a campus police report written by officer Robert Crout.
Police said they confronted the suspect, conducted a pat down and found a “sub compact 9 mm†handgun. Frank Washington was arrested and charged with a felony weapons law violation, and he believes the police went too far.
“It could have been avoided,†he told The Daily Helmsman. “I wasn’t threatening anybody. I forgot I had the gun on me.â€
Washington said he drove to campus to pick up a “friend of a friend†who was pledging to a fraternity. He said he accidently dropped the gun while tying his shoes.
“This got blown way out of proportion,†he said. “Police were overdoing their job. All of this could have been avoided.â€
Although Washington would not say whether or not he had a carry permit, Interim Chief of Campus Police Derek Myers said Washington was not a permit holder, but even if he were, he would still be charged with a crime.
“Other than campus police and faculty members who are approved, it is a felony for anyone to have a gun on campus,†Myers said. “Anytime someone calls about a firearm, we get there immediately.â€
Washington was charged with a felony and, depending on his prior convictions, could receive more than a year of jail time after he goes through the court system, Myers said.
This is the fourth incident this semester where university police have responded to guns on campus.
Myers said the changing state laws regarding campus carrying may have confused people about the laws of having a concealed weapon and may explain the uptick in gun violations, but he reiterated that no one other than police or approved faculty is allowed to carry a firearm.
        “I feel as though everyone should protect themselves, but I think it’s easy for a situation to happen if guns are legal on campus,†sophomore Johnathan Russell said. “People should know how to diffuse an altercation without violence.â€
Two men robbed two students at gunpoint in front of Rawls Hall shortly after midnight on Feb. 17. Just a few days later on Feb. 20, a man was arrested for bringing a semi-automatic rifle and pistol into a Carpenter Complex dorm and pointing it at students. Three teenagers forced a graduate student out of his car at gunpoint and stole student’s car March 15.
“I think, to an extent, having guns on campus is good,†sophomore Shelby Lyle said. “If they take lessons, I would trust them more with a gun than just a random person carrying one.â€
U of M senior Devin Granville said she’s torn between having a gun on campus and not having one.
“I feel like everyone should carry – they have the right to carry,†Granville said. “Then again, they should know the right way to have gun. Use it for protection, not robbing students on campus.â€
Jonathan Capriel, Mitchell Koch and Adreonna Williams contributed to this story.
