Legislators in nine states, including Florida, Texas, Michigan, and Arizona are proposing laws that would bar college campuses from banning weapons.

These laws would restrict public institutions’ ability to have anti-firearm policies for their campuses.

Illinois is not one of the nine states involved, so NIU won’t be affected. But it’s still a concern for some.

Kirk Miller, associate professor of sociology, said that if guns were allowed on campus a lot would change.

“I would expect pro-gun and pro-gun control student groups to form and weigh in on any proposed policy,” Miller said. “Such a proposal would galvanize the politics of guns and security on NIU’s campus, it would also force the university administration to develop new policies to guide firearm possession on campus.”

Miller also said that allowing students to have firearms on campus wouldn’t make the students or professors feel any safer at NIU.

“Students as a group are diverse and are going to respond differently to this depending upon their background, their political views, their experience with firearms and other factors,” Miller said. “I wouldn’t feel safer knowing that my students are carrying guns, and I say that as someone who owns a gun.”

Fred Markowitz, director of graduate studies, said that college campuses are safer than many people think.

“Students on college campuses are safer than non-college students,” Markowitz said. “People may not realize that given recent highly publicized violent events on a few college campuses, including here at NIU.”

Markowitz also said that arguments and fights might turn into serious injuries or homicides if guns are more accessible on campus.

This proposal could have a hard time passing. According to District of Columbia v. Heller, a U.S. Supreme Court decision, bans in “sensitive places such as schools and government buildings” are constitutional. Meaning that schools have the right to ban firearms from their campus, though it would have to be argued that the phrase “sensitive places” includes college and university campuses.

Senior journalism major Sean Frazier said that he disagrees with the proposed legislation.

“If that happened at NIU that it would make me feel more unsafe,” Frazier said. “Allowing regular students to have firearms…it’s just dangerous.”

Frazier also said he wouldn’t feel safe going to class.

“I would go so far as to leave campus; I would not feel safe at all.”

Junior chemistry major Charles Luft said that allowing students to bring firearms onto NIU’s campus would not help the problem.

“I don’t want people carrying guns on campus,” Luft said. “There are irresponsible people out there and that will only make the situation worse.”

Luft also said that he would still go to class if this happened at NIU, but he would be worried about it.