All of the public universities in the United States officially have armed campus police forces as of Friday, the Associated Press reported.
The last holdout, the University of Rhode Island, started carrying guns Friday.
The impetus for a change in policy came after a scare in 2013.
After several students thought they heard someone say they had a gun during a lecture hall, URI’s South Kingstown campus became a frenzy. Campus police arrived in less than a minute, but armed police from South Kingstown didn’t arrive for more than five minutes — more than enough time for a gunman to commit a massacre.
“URI police needed to be prepared to be first responders in any emergency,” University President David Dooley told the AP.
The issue of armed police hasleft many on campus divided. While some welcome the extra security in case of a Virginia Tech scenario, others disagree.
Frank Annuziato, executive director of the URI chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said, “The impetus for having guns was phony. The worst crime that’s ever done here is people smoke marijuana. This is a happy place. It’s not a place where guns are necessary.”
But Stephen Baker, URI’s Director of Public Safety, said, “Other than the fact that our police officers will be carrying sidearms, it’s not going to change the way they do their jobs.”
Twenty-six of the 28 department officers will be armed, the two who will not be carrying weapons either chose not to carry the weapon or failed the training and screening process.
