NORMAL, Ala. — Shots were fired on the campus of Alabama A&M University last night around 10:45 p.m., according to the University’s Public Safety Department. While no injuries have been reported, the University is looking into the incident and has identified a suspect.
The suspect is a black male student at AAMU from Mobile, Ala.
Alabama A&M, like the state’s other public colleges and universities, is a gun-free zone. According to a University public safety document titled “Safety Matters,” the possession and use of firearms of any kind – even with a legal permit – is expressly prohibited on campus.
Earlier this year, Rep. Mack Butler (R-Rainbow City) introduced a bill in the state legislature to ensure the right of college students who obtain a concealed carry permit to conceal a pistol while at school. The bill would also allow colleges to “establish rules concerning the storage of pistols in dormitories” and empower university presidents to impose “reasonable rules” and “certain limitations” with regard to concealed carry on campus.
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Butler’s bill did not ultimately pass in the 2016 session. But the concept, known as “campus carry” has been successfully implemented at other schools, including The University of Texas at Austin, much to the chagrin of liberal students and professors.
Campus carry has been the law of the land in Colorado for 13 years and has had overwhelmingly positive results. In 2015, The Washington Post examined the impact of Colorado’s campus carry law and found that no mass shootings or crimes had been committed by permit holders.
