In North Carolina, the difference between private and public institutions affects how colleges can enforce gun laws. Several days ago, Duke University officials released a statement addressing new gun legislation and fire arm safety on campus, according to the Duke Chronicle.
A July provision to a house bill now permits concealed hand guns in locked vehicles on North Carolina public universities and colleges, reports The Chronicle. Duke University, located in Chapel Hill, NC, is a private institution and thus is not subject to state laws; however, as part of the provision, those not subject to the law still must clearly state their policies.
"Duke has had a very long history of not permitting weapons on campus," said Kyle Cavanaugh, Vice President of Administration told The Chronicle. "For us, the campus remains in exactly the same form in terms of gun-carrying policies. There's no change in the way we've been handling this for the many past decades."
Besides an adamant stance against guns, Duke informed The Chronicle it intends to enforce its policy with strategically placed signs around campus.
"The signs are simply going to say that weapons are prohibited from Duke properties," Cavanaugh said.
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where guns had previously been banned, Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Jeff McCracken has been forced to confront the realities of the new law.
"The policy here is to follow the law - private institutions like Duke do have the power to prohibit weapons on campus, but UNC's policy is abiding by and enforcing the law," McCracken told the Duke Chronicle.
"Previously, handguns were prohibited from school ground, period," McCracken said. "The change is allowing handgun permit holders to bring firearms onto campuses as long as the guns are locked in a vehicle. This new legislation also only addresses handguns, not long guns of any type."
McCracken told The Chronicle he believes the policy complicates already dangerous situations. He envisions a scenario in which a vigilant student attempts to gun down a school shooter. He worries that his men may not be able to tell the difference between the two.
"If we were to have an active campus shooter, the students might be tempted to help out in a situation like that," McCracken said. "My officers are trained to respond to the sound of gun fires. However, when they come to a situation where the campus shooter is not the only one with weapons, unnecessary chaos would be created."
Prior to the bill's passage, all 17 police chiefs that comprise the UNC security system signed a letter of protest, according to the Duke Chronicle. According to the letter, the new policies present a "risk to the safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors."
