Oh, for the days when the controversy about what can be carried into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium had to do with soda pop.
Six years ago, the University of Arkansas signed a deal to make Pepsi the “official soft drink of the Razorbacks,” replacing a long-standing relationship with Coca- Cola. That meant no more Coke with a cheeseburger in the south end zone. Just Pepsi.
The decision created a bit of a tempest in a pop bottle with supporters of “The Real Thing” complaining while others were more than ready for “Generation Next.”
During Arkansas’ last legislative session, things got a bit more serious. State Rep. Charlie Collins’ fight to force state colleges to allow conceal-carry permit holders to be armed on campus morphed into a chilling proposal that would have permitted some permit holders to possess guns anywhere on college campuses, including at athletic events.
We’ve been to a few Razorback football games in our time, and we’ve seen people so swept up in anger over an official’s ruling, a play call or a result that it wasn’t safe for them to possess seat cushions or handbags, let alone firearms.
Yet, there our lawmakers were, clearing the way to make it legal for non-law enforcement people who get a certain level of training to be armed in the stadium during a game. In a clear demonstration that some legislators don’t understand irony, this happened on the heels of approval of Senate Resolution 19, lamenting a “profoundly poor” call against the Razorbacks in the NCAA basketball tournament and urging better education of “pinhead” officials.
Thankfully, the one organization we know of in the South more politically influential than the National Rifle Association — the Southeastern Conference — intervened. The conference issued a statement expressing concern about the safety of the players, officials, fans and staff if Arkansas’ law remained as it was, and called into question how the conference would respond with future scheduling of games and events.
It didn’t take long for an amendment to be drafted, making it possible to exempt sports venues from the law, provided that the colleges had approved safety plans in place.
Talk about your last-second hail Mary.
Clearly, what ended up happening wasn’t Collins’ original intent. He’d fought for years to make it legal for concealed-carry permit holders to possess guns on college campuses, but the best he had managed was a law that allowed it only if the college’s governing body agreed. None ever had — which should have been instructive to lawmakers — so Collins simply tried to take away their ability to choose.
He succeeded, but in the process opened the door to the crazy notion that certain football and basketball fans should be armed.
We had no problem with the law as it originally existed, giving college leaders the right to decide how to make their campuses safer. We’re not at all sure what we ended up with does that. But, we’re relieved lawmakers backed away from the disastrous possibility of allowing anyone other than law enforcement to be legally armed at a football stadium.
Don’t think, however, that the gameday experience will stay the same. Certain permit holders can be armed elsewhere on campus before, during and after games — just not inside the venue. That means, perhaps, more armed people at tailgates and pre-game parties. In a story in this paper Tuesday, the Fayetteville campus requested bids on metal detectors in an effort to determine the cost of using such equipment as part of its security protocol. While UA officials contend the request isn’t solely based on the legislature’s most recent actions, it’s clear the UA is ramping up in preparation for the changes in state law.
Don’t be surprised if entering a venue for a Razorback game requires passing through a metal detector — something that will surely slow down the flow of people. We’re just guessing here, but making our sports venues more like airports isn’t a recipe for enhancing the game-day experience. But at least there will be some level of assurance that the guns remain outside the stadium, along with the tailgate barbecue and bottles of Coca-Cola.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
The odd evolution of a law allowing concealed carry guns on college campus may turn the game-day experience into an exercise in patience, even before
the team takes the field.