Walker should veto SB48

Some will accuse us of getting ahead of ourselves because the Utah Legislature doesn't adjourn until Wednesday. But we would ask that Gov. Olene Walker jot down a reminder to herself to veto SB48 when it comes across her desk.

SB48, sponsored by Sen. Mike Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, would overturn the University of Utah's campus gun ban, a policy that has served the university well for many years. While some legislators feel it is their sole responsibility to create uniform gun policy in Utah, this issue would best be handled by the State Board of Regents, which governs state colleges and universities.

There are many reasons why guns don't belong in places of learning. The primary one is that there are few places in a community that fill roles similar to college campuses. These bring together people of diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas. That dynamic requires an atmosphere free from intimidation.

If the Board of Regents, which has authority over state colleges and universities, developed a uniform policy for concealed weapons on college campuses, wouldn't that allay concerns that institutions would have a hodgepodge of different policies that varied from campus to campus? This would be a considerable nod to local control.

But some lawmakers want to eat their cake and have it, too. Some of the most ferocious rhetoric on Capitol Hill comes when the federal government forces its will on the states in the form of federal programs laden with a lot of strings and, often, not a lot of funding.

From a state's rights perspective, there is validity to questioning sweeping federal mandates. But as a result of that experience, shouldn't it follow that state lawmakers would be less prone to step on the policymaking authority of subdivisions of state and local governments? Isn't the concept of local control valid below the state level, as well?

No question, a concealed weapons ban won't prevent people bent on harm from committing gun crimes on college campuses. But the Regents, as a policy-making body, should have the authority to declare policies that best facilitate proper conduct and order in a higher-education setting.