According to Sarah Palermo at the Concord Monitor:
Students at Plymouth State University will be excused from the last day of classes tomorrow if they feel anxious about a planned pro-gun-rights protest.
The protest, which was announced online earlier this week, was organized by Bradley Jardis of Dover, a former police officer, and Tommy Mozingo, a former member of the Army.
The two planned to carry loaded, unconcealed rifles, but Jardis announced earlier today on his blog that he’s decided the rifles will be unloaded, after “an excellent conversation with the University System of New Hampshire General Counsel Ronald Rogers and Plymouth State University Vice President for Student Affairs Richard Hage.”
Acknowledging that Jardis claims the protest will pose no threat to students, professors or university officials, President Sara Jayne Steen wrote an all-campus email on Tuesday asking professors to make alternate arrangements with students who choose not to attend class tomorrow.
“The individuals involved have stated that they intend to be peaceful; nonetheless, we understand that (guns on campus) will make some of you uncomfortable. Safety is our highest priority, and people should make the best decision for themselves about being on campus,” she wrote.
The men plan to be outside the campus’s main building at 9 a.m., “so long as I can get there before being whisked away in a police vehicle,” Jardis wrote on his Facebook profile.
University police plan to enforce the current policy, which bans weapons from campus, said Tim Kershner, chief public relations officer for the university.
The policy allows for exceptions as reviewed and approved by the chief of University Police, but “at this point we have not been asked for an exception,” Kershner said.
