Sen. McKenzie refuses to answer question about his guns-on-campus bill

After Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, asked Sen. Curt McKenzie, R-Nampa,  several questions about how SB 1254 treats open carrying of firearms – McKenzie said it only addresses concealed weapons, and the Constitution addresses open carrying – Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, asked McKenzie to yield to a question. In a rare move, he refused.

Stennett, taken somewhat aback, said she had hoped to have him define a concealed weapon, but she’d just debate against the bill. “I have received many emails from professors, staff, students and parents who have huge concern about workplace safety,” she told the Senate. “Professors have had escalation of altercations in the classroom already.” Stennett said universities are saying they don’t have the trained staff to deal with guns on campus. “If the state is going to impose this law on them without adequate funding, we’ll have it come down to tuition and again further burden our kids,” she said.