(Newswire.net — September 5, 2014) — Byron Bennett, an assistant professor of chemistry at Idaho State University, was giving a lecture to a class of about 20 students on Tuesday , when the small caliber pistol that he was carrying concealed in his pocket accidentally discharged. The bullet hit Bennett in his foot.
According to Pocatello Police Lieutenant Paul Manning, no other injuries were reported and no charges have been filed in the case.
According to ISU’s policy regarding weapons on campus, concealed weapons are forbidden in about a dozen locations and buildings in the campus, including dormitories, campus apartment buildings, Albion Hall, the College of Education, Holt Arena and Reed Gymnasium. It is not however, against school rules to have a concealed weapon in the classroom, which is where the accident occured.
Taylor Hansen of Chubbuck is a freshman at ISU and she said that her parents plan to buy her a gun in response to the new law.
“I’m a girl and I’m little,” Hansen said. “But I’m going to take some safety courses so I don’t shoot myself in the foot.”
In spite of the accidental shooting Tuesday, Max MacClure, a senior at ISU, said he still supports the campus carry law.
“I think accidents happen. One accident doesn’t mean it’s a bad law,” he said.
The shooting is still under investigation.
In the United States, all 50 states allow citizens to carry concealed weapons if they meet certain state requirements. Currently, there are 20 states that ban carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus.
In 23 states the decision to ban or allow concealed carry weapons on campuses is made by each college or university individually.
Due to recent state legislation and court rulings, 7 states now have provisions allowing the carrying of concealed weapons on public postsecondary campuses.
In March 2014, Idaho’s legislature passed a bill permitting concealed weapons on campus and making it the 7th state to permit guns on campus.