Campus police department offers safe storage for students' hunting weapons

Rifle season began Monday in Pennsylvania, and students at Slippery Rock University need to keep safety and the university's policies in mind, according to Zachariah Dornisch, a 21-year-old political science major and community assistant.

For those hunters looking to get their first deer in of the season, the university community offers some solutions on how you can keep your firearms safe, while abiding by the university's policies.

Slippery Rock University campus does not allow guns on campus, but students are able to take their rifles and bows to the firearm storage center, located in the University Police Station.  

Assistant Chief Windy Stafford says the storage center is valuable to hunters and competition shooters who are looking for someplace safe to store their weapons.

"Any student, faculty or staff member may bring in a firearm for storage," Stafford said.  "The owner and weapon information is taken, and all weapons are checked through the National Crime Intelligence Center to ensure that the weapons are not stolen."

The firearm storage is free for all students and safely secures and locks rifles and bows in the police station's possession.

  Students must provide a valid license, as well as signed form that includes whether the rifle has ammunition.

If students choose to store their rifles at the university police station, they are required to sign out and then sign in the weapon when they are finished.

The police station is open 24 hours a day, so gun access is available for students at any time.

This makes it accessible for hunters who leave early in the morning, when other storage centers would be closed.  

Stafford believes that this is a great program for a gun-free campus because it demonstrates proper safety issues for those who wish to hunt during rifle season.

"A big concern of storing weapons on campus is the possible theft and the unintentional harm like accidental shootings," Stafford said.  "This program promotes responsible ownership while individuals are on campus and ensures that weapons are stored safely and securely."

With SRU being located in a mainly rural area, hunting is a very popular activity for SRU students.

Aaron Gies, a 22-year-old safety major with a business minor, went hunting for the first time of the season Monday in Volant, Pa., only a short distance away from Slippery Rock.

When Gies is not hunting, he stores his rifle in a gun case inside his home on Elm Street.

"My gun is always secured in the case, and I make sure it's unloaded before I put it in there," Gies said.  "It's easy access for people to get to, but if there's no ammunition, they won't be able to do anything with it."

Dornisch also sees the importance of this program and realizes the dangers that could be prevalent without it.

"Well, it increases the possibility of violence and could be life threatening to a large number of students," Dornisch said. "Especially when you consider the possibility of anger and tempers."

Dornisch went on to talk about how roommate conflicts are common with students living in the dorms and often times, escalate to concerning levels.

"Students tend to get caught up in the heat of the moment and end up doing and saying things they regret," Dornisch said.

"I've seen some situations that start off over something very small, but then get blown way out of proportion. Imagining what could happen if there were firearms available kind of scares me."

Students can stop by the University Police Station or call 724-738-3333 for more information concerning the firearm storage program.