As far as forced March Madness tie-ins go, this is a 1-seed.
Everytown for Gun Safety email-blasted a tournament style bracket of states considering “campus-carry” bills Thursday, ripping the National Rifle Association for backing them. The messaging effort comes as multiple state legislatures, including Texas’, consider such measures, which would allow concealed handguns on college campuses.
“Most folks are hoping their alma mater or top pick keeps advancing in the college basketball tournament. But the only way to win this NRA Madness tournament is to stop these foolish and dangerous guns-on-campus bills from ever becoming law,” the sports anchor Bryant Gumbel, representing Everytown, wrote in the email.
Gumbel argued the legislation is a distraction from the once-a-year hoops spectacle at colleges around the country.
“Our country’s campuses should be filled with curious students, excited fans, and passionate teachers. Let’s keep them all safe by keeping guns out of the wrong hands. Let’s stop the NRA Madness so we can all go back to enjoying some basketball… in safety.”
According to a late-February update from the National Council of State Legislatures, 20 states ban carrying a concealed weapon on campus, 23 allow the decision to be made at the university level, and seven have provisions allowing the carrying of concealed weapons on public postsecondary campuses.
