Guns-on-Campus Bills Fail at State Level Across U.S.

WASHINGTON, June 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The gun lobby's efforts to pass
legislation to force colleges and universities to allow loaded, hidden
handguns onto their campuses have been met with complete rejection by state
legislatures across the United States this year.

In 2008, proponents of guns in the classroom have gone zero-for-fifteen with
"guns-on-campus" bills, failing in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. Only two bills are still
pending -- in Michigan and Ohio -- and neither has shown any sign of movement
in the last two years. Only one state -- Utah -- has ever passed such a law.

"Forcing school administrators to allow guns on campus against their will is a
bad idea that needed to be defeated. We are pleased that it failed so
consistently across the country this year. The gun lobby made these bills a
big priority but they came up empty," said Brady Campaign President Paul
Helmke. "Even states that have been friendly to the gun lobby in the past,
and legislators who have been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, are
sensibly rejecting these dangerous proposals to force more guns on college
campuses."

The NRA sent alert after alert to their members this year urging them to back
legislation that would arm college students, but each of these bills failed.
Even legislators that previously received the organization's backing rejected
this new priority of the gun lobby. For example:

-- The NRA's "guns on campus" legislation failed in the
South Dakota State Senate by a vote of 17-14 last February, with six
"A-rated" NRA senators voting against the bill.

-- In Indiana, where the legislation fell one vote short of approval in
the
State Senate, ten NRA-endorsed senators voted against the bill.

"Arming college students is the wrong lesson to learn from Virginia Tech,"
continued Helmke. "That tragedy teaches us that we need to strengthen
background checks so that dangerous people like the mentally ill Virginia Tech
shooter cannot buy guns in the first place."

The Brady Campaign first exposed the gun lobby's campaign in its report: No
Gun Left Behind: The Gun Lobby's Campaign to Push Guns Into Colleges and
Schools.

College and university administrators and police officials have strongly
condemned guns-on-campus legislation. The vast majority of students are also
opposed. Law enforcement officials are concerned that arming untrained
students and faculty will lead to more violence. Police Chief Gene Ferrara at
the University of Cincinnati recently told CNN "I don't think the answer to
bullets flying is to send more bullets flying. My belief is we ought to be
focusing on what we do to prevent the shooting from starting."

As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the
fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, with its dedicated network
of Million Mom March Chapters, works to enact and enforce sensible gun laws,
regulations and public policies. The Brady Campaign is devoted to creating an
America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at
school, at work, and in our communities.

Visit the Brady Campaign website at www.bradycampaign.org. For continuing
insight and comment on the gun issue, read Paul Helmke's blog at
www.bradycampaign.org/blog/.

CONTACT: Peter Hamm of Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, +1-202-898-0792

SOURCE Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Peter Hamm of Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, +1-202-898-0792