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Ohio University Second Amendment Club member Tyler Smith teaches a concealed carry class Saturday. Ohio Revised Code prohibits people with concealed-carry licenses from carrying guns on college campuses.

You can’t carry a concealed firearm on a college campus, but you can carry an empty holster. And that’s what some Ohio University students hope you notice.

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) members will be wearing empty holsters on campus this week as part of a nationwide protest. The goal is to show how many students have concealed-carry licenses and want to see that right extended to college campuses, said Alex Herbert, OU’s SCCC campus leader.

Concealed-carry licenses are void on college campuses, school safety-zones, law-enforcement offices, places of worship, day care centers and businesses with liquor licenses, according to the Ohio Revised Code. A person can carry a gun in plain sight without a license, as long as they’re outside the prohibited areas.

The group hopes the protest shows how many students and concealed-carry license holders want to protect themselves on campus, said Herbert, who described himself as more “pro-rights” than “pro-gun.” The group also wants to disprove the idea that concealed-carry holders are nothing more than “gun-nuts.”

“The idea is, I’m not carrying a gun because I want to use it,” Herbert said. “I carry it because I want to
protect myself.”

But that concept might not hold true on a crowded campus, said David Hopka, OU assistant vice-president for Safety and Risk Management. A person might be able to operate a firearm, but without proper training they could make the situation worse, said Hopka, who works closely with Ohio University Police Chief Michael Martinsen.

“It’s not just a matter of, ‘You see something, you determine it’s a threat and open fire,’” Hopka said.   

OUPD undergoes specialized training to handle emergencies on campus and has worked with other area law enforcement to ensure the quickest response in a violent situation such as the school shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, Hopka said.

The SCCC told OUPD it planned to wear the holsters and made sure participants knew to make it clear that the holster was empty, Herbert said. OUPD recommended the holster always be in plain sight, said Sally Linder, OU senior director of media relations.

In Athens County, there are 741 concealed-carry licenses, according to the Athens County Sheriff’s Office. Applicants must complete a 12-hour training course, be at least 21 years old and not have a protection order against them.

Applicants cannot have been convicted of any violent misdemeanors or drug-related felonies.

Right now, the firearms ban on campus is state law. If it were to be repealed, the university would still have to lift its own firearm ban. OU would make that decision if the statewide ban were lifted, Linder said.

OU only allows firearms on university property if they’re carried by police officers, used for military science training or part of museum collections, according to university policy.

Herbert said he feels there’s no difference between carrying a gun on campus and carrying one in an off-campus neighborhood, where they are legal. Many license holders carry guns off campus without incident, he added.

“The fact is that in a lot of high-risk environments it’s still legal to carry. But not on campus,” Herbert said.