The start of the Missouri legislative session is just around the corner, and colleges officials throughout the state can expect a return for some form of a campus carry bill.Rep. Jared Taylor, R-Nixa, has said he plans to introduce a campus carry bill.East Central College President Dr. Jon Bauer, who has voiced opposition to campus carry before, said he continues to have concerns about the proposition to allow guns on campus.“I have real concerns about having an environment in which weapons are allowed on campus or even tacitly encouraged,” he said, adding that he hasn’t seen data to prove that kind of approach improves security.“I understand that concern for the safety of our students, and yet at the same time I think that there are good approaches and then there are unproven approaches,” he added.Currently, Missouri law prohibits firearms in any higher education institution without the consent of the governing body of the higher education institution or a school official or the district school board.“I just think this is an area in which the state really needs to proceed very carefully,” Bauer said.The college weapons policy “prohibits all persons who enter any college property from carrying on his/her person a handgun, firearm, or other weapon prohibited by law . . . regardless of whether the person is licensed to carry the weapon or not.”The prohibition applies to all students, employees and the public.Additionally, any person who has a conceal and carry permit or endorsement who is carrying a concealed firearm will be denied entry and ordered to leave the premises.Bauer said that while campus carry is based on concern, the best approach is to enhance security on campus and that security has been a top priority over the past year.“I think the responsibility that administrators have is to do everything possible in a preventive and proactive way to make the campus as safe as possible for students, and at the same time make sure that you have a good learning environment,” he said. I feel like we’ve done that, but we’re not going to stop. It’s work that’s never done.” Campus SafetyAs mandated by the Clery Act, the college must disclose campus crime statistics and security information.In the most recent report, which covers the calendar years of 2012-2014, the college only had one reportable crime on the main campus. In 2013, there was a drug violation on campus.Data is reported Oct. 1 for the previous calendar year.Crimes that must be reported include murder, manslaughter, sex offenses-forcible, rape, fondling, sex offenses-non forcible, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and arson. Domestic violence, dating violence and stalking incidents also must be reported, as well as offenses classified as hate crimes.This year, the college hired two police officers to patrol the campus through a partnership with the Union Police Department. The department also has a substation on campus.A security fee was enacted to help fund enhancements.The college has a campus alert system to notify students if there is a campus emergency or notification and law enforcement has trained on campus.Buildings have been numbered for easy identification and door locks have been upgraded to lock from the inside.Franklin County has a school safety director, Kevin Anderson, who the college has worked with to identify possible upgrades to security.ECC