2016 Legislative Session Ends with Defeat of NRA Priority Legislation to Force Guns On Campus; Latest in a Series of Victories for Gun Safety Across the Country
JUNEAU, Ala. – The Alaska chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement in response to the defeat of Senate Bill 174, which would have forced the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska to allow guns on campus. The University of Alaska system had previously estimated an added security cost of $5.3 million had SB 174 been passed and signed into law.
Alaska is the latest state to reject guns on campus legislation – a priority for the NRA in recent years. Guns on campus bills have been introduced this year in 17 states. So far eleven states – Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia – have rejected the bills. Tennessee is the only state to pass a guns on campus bill, and while it’s a dangerous policy, it is more limited in scope, and one that the Governor was not even willing to sign his name to. Last year, 18 states considered guns on campus legislation. Texas was the only state to pass the measure and even there the bill was so watered down that one gun lobby group characterized it as a loss.
STATEMENT FROM CHELAN SCHREIFELS, A VOLUNTEER WITH THE ALASKA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“Alaska Moms stood up to the NRA and won. We’re thankful that our legislators stood on the side of public safety by refusing to debate this bill any further, especially in the midst of our state budget crisis. This victory goes to show that whether it’s Alaska or Georgia, the NRA can’t show up and try to push their dangerous legislation without our strong opposition. As a mom and as an Alaskan, I’m proud that Senate Bill 174 was defeated and that our college students can focus on their studies – not whether someone is carrying a gun next to them in class.”
Throughout the legislative session, the Alaska chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, called, emailed and testified in opposition to the guns on campus legislation. Senate Bill 174 also received opposition from the University of Alaska Board of Regents, University of Alaska student leadership and faculty.