Applies to: Faculty, Staff, Students, Visitors
Responsible Office: Security
A. Policy Statement
It is our objective to provide an environment free of hazardous or potentially dangerous situations. With that goal in mind, Mitchell Hamline School of Law maintains a strict policy prohibiting guns and all other weapons, to the extent permitted by law. This policy applies equally to everyone, whether or not they possess permits to carry guns. The school reserves the right to search and inspect the premises and persons of anyone while in law school premises or while engaged in law school business off premises, to determine compliance with this policy.
B. Procedure
The law school does not allow anyone to carry and/or possess guns or other weapons at any time while in school’s premises, except that guns (but not other weapons) are permitted in parking areas. For everyone’s safety the school expects that guns stored in vehicles in the school’s parking areas will be kept out of sight, unloaded, and locked in the vehicle.
Faculty, staff, and students are also prohibited from carrying and/or possessing guns or other weapons even off school premises when they are acting in the course and scope of their employment or education except as expressly permitted by law. The weapons prohibition applies, but is not limited, to times a faculty, staff, or student is:
- Driving school vehicles for any purpose;
- Driving privately-owned vehicles used in the course of conducting school business; or
- Participating in any school-sponsored activity, whether business-related or not.
C. Definitions
For purposes of this policy faculty includes full-time faculty, adjunct professors, visiting professors, or any others serving the school in a teaching capacity.
D. Disciplinary or Corrective Action
If a violation of this policy occurs, timely and appropriate disciplinary or corrective action may be taken as follows:
- A faculty or staff member found to have committed a violation of this policy may be subject to a broad range of consequences, up to and including termination of employment. If necessary, a matter will be referred to the appropriate disciplinary authority as required by school policy and by existing agreements with the faculty to determine what corrective action is appropriate.
- A student found to have committed a violation of this policy may be subject to a broad range of consequences up to and including expulsion, suspension, or other appropriate action.
The school also prohibits persons other than faculty, staff, and students from carrying and/or possessing guns or other weapons at any time while on school premises. These persons include but are not limited to relatives, independent contractors, visitors, vendors, and all others, excluding on-duty law enforcement officers.
E. Reporting
Faculty, staff, and students are required to report promptly to Security any information relating to any person(s) carrying and/or possessing guns or other weapons on school premises in violation of the policy, or reasonably suspected of doing so.
F. Questions
Any questions about the weapon prohibition policy should be directed to Human Resources.