Like his Cheney counterpart, Eastern Washington University Police Chief Tim Walters understands that in Washington state, individuals have the right to openly carry a firearm. Also like Cheney Police Chief John Hensley, he wished people inclined to do so would do a little thinking first.
“There has to be some common sense sprinkled in that right,” Walters said in a May 24 interview.
The university’s Cheney campus has been the location of two sightings of a local man who has told police he is an advocate of the state’s open carry law and has no intention of complying with requests to be more discreet with the practice. Reports of him walking, armed with two handguns, near a Spokane Transit Authority bus stop at Elm and C streets on May 3 led to EWU police sending instructions via social media asking students, faculty and staff to shelter in place in campus buildings while a search was conducted.
It also led to nearby Cheney School District facilities to go into lockdown.
The man was again sighted on May 16 near the university campus, frightening a woman walking ahead of him and leading her to run into a campus building for shelter. Cheney police said the man, described as being in his 30s, has also been seen wearing a ballistic vest and carrying and AK-47 rifle was well.
Walters said the man has come and talked to EWU officers about his practice and beliefs. While officials understand he’s within his rights, they also feel it’s not necessary for him to continue to make whatever point he is attempting to give.
“Obviously, he’s making people uncomfortable on campus, and that’s inherent, given the climate on campuses across the country,” Walters said.
Colleges and universities have specific Washington Administrative Codes written for them, and under EWU WAC 172-122-120, the possession, carrying or discharge or other use of any weapon is prohibited on property owned or controlled by the university. There are exceptions for commissioned law enforcement officers, display or demonstration purposes and organized recreational activities or special groups, such as the ROTC.
Walters’ specific concerns are in the makeup of Eastern’s population — which is diverse to say the least. Students, faculty and staff who are from this area are likely to be somewhat educated on the issue of open carry.
Those who don’t come from states allowing open carry, or who are from countries where firearms are illegal, don’t enjoy a similar perspective. Consequently, the element of fear can be much more heightened if an individual openly carrying a weapon is encountered.
Walters said the department doesn’t see a lot of firearms on campus. If they do, the individual is contacted and educated on the rules, as well as options for storing the weapon off campus.
Training on weapons rules are part of new student orientation through the university’s “First Step” program. The program runs every Friday from June through August, and covers all aspects of campus life — with the university police getting about 20 minutes to talk to students and their parents.
“We educate as much as we can,” Walters said. “Do we touch them all? No.”
That education component extends to off-campus groups such as fraternities and sororities, with EWU officers serving as liaisons between the university and those groups.
Walters said the man involved in recent open-carry reports has been sighted several times near campus since the May 3 incident.
“We’re monitoring, at this point, what he’s doing,” he added.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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