Students living on campus at Central have a safe place to store their firearms, with university police.

As tensions run high around the topic of gun control on college campuses, Central offers law-abiding, firearm-owning students a storage option for their pistols, rifles and bows.

University police offers free firearm storage for all students living on campus and access to weapons is not restricted. Students can reach the university police at all times and, within minutes, leave with their firearm.

University police Capt. Jason Berthon-Koch said this program allows students to have a “safe and secure location to store their firearms, if they choose to have them.”

Police Services did not provide an exact number of students who utilize the program, but it was noted that during fall quarter the storage facility sees the most traffic. This increase in traffic during fall quarter is attributed to hunting season. Traffic slows down before winter break as students check out their firearms to store them elsewhere for the rest of the year.

Washington state law requires state universities to have a storage program. As stated in WAC 106-124-700, guns and other dangerous weapons or instruments are not allowed on university property except under rare circumstances. On-campus storage facilities help to retain students’ Second Amendment rights.

Koch has been a part of the university police for over 16 years and says the storage facility has been in place since before he first came to the campus. In all of that time, no notable incidents have occurred involving the campus storage facility.

According to the University Police and Parking Services Web site, when a student wishes to check in a firearm, they are required to complete a weapons storage form, agree to a criminal history check and have a valid driver’s license.

To aid in crime prevention, each time a student checks in or checks out their firearm they must submit to a criminal history check.

University police will not, “store or accept b.b. guns, paintball guns, knives, swords, etc,” as stated in their policy. They will also not accept ammunition, magazines, arrows, cases or holsters for the weapons they do approve for storage.

University police headquarters is closed on weekdays from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday and all day on weekends. During this time those requesting access to their firearm must use the call box located outside the university police building on Wildcat Way across from Dean Hall. This call box connects students with local dispatch, which sends an on-duty campus police officer within minutes.