Northern Michigan University is unique and allows attending students, even those who stay in the dorms, to bring guns. They are very strict with them: students must check them in to and store them with the NMU Police Department. They are not allowed to be brought back on campus. Anyone found with a gun on campus is immediately expelled and or charged with a crime.
These safety measures are all necessary and good, though the Editorial Board believes the department has room to grow in at least one regard. The place and process where guns are checked back into the police department.
For those unfamiliar with the process, it takes place in the same room as the one where you receive your parking pass for the year, just on the opposite window station. It is also the same location that clubs and student organizations get keys to their meeting rooms.
In the return process, the student brings their cased guns, put it on the table and take it out, and open the gun or take out the magazine to show no bullets reside inside it. They then fire the hopefully empty gun in a shooting box and, finally, turn the gun in.
When students turn their guns in, in some instances, a campus police officer is not present in the room but behind the protective glass. This can lead to a delayed action time if something were to happen, or the potential of students mishandling their firearms. We believe this is more likely to happen in a place often visited by students and student organization leaders. Which, by the placement of the shooting box, can happen. Since it sits parallel with entrance door. Students turning in their guns have often told those coming in to back up to avoid accidents, which shows the responsibility of the students, but also the problematic placement of the shooting box.
The Editorial Board is not saying the process is flawed. We simply believe the return process should take place in a separate room, away from a common area like the lobby it currently takes place in.
It is very unique that Northern offers students the chance to bring their firearms with them to college, and offers strict rules to garner a safe university. Though to make a safer campus, the turning in of firearms should change locations, move the shooting box and make sure that when a firearm is brought in, a member of staff is there should anything happen.
We believe this would make sure any students who are uncomfortable around firearms are not forced to face them, as well as furthering the already great safety measures taken by NMU.
