Campus Carry Information

Any lawful weapons carrier may carry a concealed handgun in any building or on real property owned by or leased to any public technical school, vocational school, college, or university, or other public institution of postsecondary education, with the restrictions noted in the following sections.

A lawful weapons carrier may not carry guns in the following areas:

• Buildings or property used for athletic sporting events or student housing, including, but not limited to, fraternity and sorority houses;
• Any preschool or childcare space located within such buildings or real property;
• Any room or space being used for classes related to a college and career academy or other specialized school as provided for under Code Section 20-4-37;
• Any room or space during the times when they are being used for classes in which high school students are enrolled, either through a dual-enrollment program, such as ‘Move on When Ready Act’ as provided for under Code Section 20-2-161.3 or a college and career academy or other specialized school as provided for under Code Section 20-4-37;
• Faculty, staff or administrative offices;
• Rooms during the times when they are being used to conduct disciplinary proceedings of any kind, including those related to students, faculty or staff.

Handguns are prohibited in buildings or property that are used for intercollegiate games at all times, not just during the events. Similarly, handguns are prohibited throughout the entire facility, not just those specific areas of the facility in which games are played. The same is true of student housing facilities; handguns are prohibited throughout the entire facilities, not only in the specific areas where students reside.

Laboratories are not specifically listed as one of the exceptions, however it could be prohibited if the particular space qualifies for any of the other specific exceptions, such as the lab having an "enrolled high school student" present.)

Summer camps are not specifically listed as one of the exceptions, however it could be prohibited if the particular space qualifies for any of the other specific exceptions, such as "childcare spaces", which include programs with children under 18 years of age located within an enclosed space limited to authorized people via a controlled access point (either monitored by personnel stationed at the door or controlled by an electronic mechanism.)

Health centers and their examination rooms are not specifically excepted from the general rule that lawful weapons carriers may carry concealed handguns on campus. However, there may be specific areas of those health centers that are prohibited if the particular space qualifies for any of the other specific exceptions, such as "faculty, staff and administrative offices."

Code Section 16-11-127.1 contains the definition of weapons that are prohibited on campus:

“Weapon” means and includes any pistol, revolver, or any weapon designed or intended to propel a missile of any kind, or any dirk, bowie knife, switchblade knife, ballistic knife, any other knife having a blade of two or more inches, straight-edge razor, razor blade, spring stick, knuckles, whether made from metal, thermoplastic, wood, or other similar material, blackjack, any bat, club, or other bludgeon-type weapon, or any flailing instrument consisting of two or more rigid parts connected in such a manner as to allow them to swing freely, which may be known as a nun chahka, nun chuck, nunchaku, shuriken, or fighting chain, or any disc, of whatever configuration, having at least two points or pointed blades which is designed to be thrown or propelled and which may be known as a throwing star or oriental dart, or any weapon of like kind, and any stun gun or taser as defined in subsection (a) of Code Section 16-11-106. This paragraph excludes any of these instruments used for classroom work authorized by the teacher.

Everything represented in the preceding statement, except stun guns (aka "Tasers") and concealed handguns, which are defined and exempted in a later portion of OCGA 16-11-127.1, is illegal to carry on any campus and USG property, whether owned or leased.

It is the responsibility of lawful weapons carriers who choose to carry handguns on campus to know the law and to understand where they can go while carrying.  According to the USG guidance, student lawful weapons carriers, “who want to carry handguns to class will need to visit the UNG Registrar, Steven Stubbs, located in the Price Memorial Hall on the Dahlonega Campus, who after verifying their enrollment status will tell them which of their classes, if any, have high school students enrolled.”

No. The USG guidance indicates that signage is not to be posted. It is the responsibility of lawful weapons carriers who choose to carry handguns on campus to know the law and to understand where they can go while carrying.  

Email University Police at greg.williams@ung.edu or UNG’s General Counsel at jenna.colvin@ung.edu. 

No. The Department of the Army has prohibited cadets from carrying personally-owned weapons while in uniform, as noted in Policy Letter 22 from the U.S. Army Cadet Command (USACC). USACC Cadre, not University Police, are responsible for enforcing this policy. 

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, “students, faculty, and staff should not attempt themselves to monitor or to enforce compliance with the statute by those who do carry handguns.”

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, “students, faculty, and staff should not attempt themselves to monitor or to enforce compliance with the statute by those who do carry handguns.”

Call the University Police ( 706-864-1500 ), or report the incident through the LiveSafe app on your smartphone.

Remember: USG guidance advises that students, faculty and staff should not attempt to monitor or enforce compliance with the statute.

Only if it is during the add/drop period and only if space is available may students change a class. Students should adjust schedules using the Nighthawks registration system.

Yes. University Police's Emergency Action Plan training addresses many emergency scenarios, including active shooters. University Police hold multiple Emergency Action Plan training sessions each semester and provide notification of these sessions via email.

No. Campus carry related laws only apply “in any building or on real property owned by or leased to any public . . . college, or university . . . or other public institution of postsecondary education.” When students, faculty or staff leave campus for school-related activities, they will be governed by the weapons laws for those locations.

No. The Georgia laws related to campus carry only apply within the state of Georgia. Locations that are owned or leased by USG colleges and/or universities that are outside of Georgia jurisdiction will be governed by the local laws of the city, county, state and/or country in which those facilities stand.

It is the responsibility of those who choose to carry guns on campus to make arrangements for the proper and safe storage of those guns. Current law already allows for the securing of guns in parked cars. Lawful weapons carriers can also make arrangements for storage off-campus.

No. It applies only to “rooms and other spaces during the times when they are being used for classes in which high school students are enrolled, whether through dual-enrollment and programs such as Move on When Ready or through college and career academies or other specialized programs such as Early College.” It does not apply to general areas, such as the library, student center or dining areas.

No. The burden is on the lawful weapons carrier to determine where they can lawfully carry, and they must present their schedule to the Registrar or designated individual to know if there are any dual-enrolled students in any of their courses. Faculty members should not indicate or identify any dual-enrolled students in their course.

It is the responsibility of lawful weapons carrier who choose to carry handguns on campus to know the law and to understand where they can go while carrying.  

Yes.

Law enforcement officials, including University Police, will be responsible for enforcement. Concerns should be reported to University Police. USG guidance states that “students, faculty, and staff should not attempt themselves to monitor or to enforce compliance with the statute by those who do carry handguns.”

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, the law does not give “individual institutions discretion to bar or further limit handguns on their campuses.”

No. The current state law does not require a lawful weapons carrier to complete training to receive a permit.

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, the law does not give “individual institutions discretion to bar or further limit handguns on their campuses.”

They will have violated the law and appropriate law enforcement action will be taken. 

Individuals who violate the law may also be subject to penalties under the student code of conduct.

Yes. The immediate situation should be handled by law enforcement, but afterwards the conduct may be treated as a violation of the student code of conduct or the personnel rules. That process should then be handled in the same manner as any other student or employee misconduct case would be handled.

House Bill 792 [2016] permits possession of certain electroshock weapons on university property (emphasis added):

(19) Any person who is 18 years of age or older or currently enrolled in classes on the campus in question and carrying, possessing, or having under such person's control an electroshock weapon while in or on any building or real property owned by or leased to such public technical school, vocational school, college or university or other public institution of postsecondary education; provided, however, that, if such person makes use of such electroshock weapon, such use shall be in defense of self or others. The exemption under this paragraph shall apply only to such person in regard to such electroshock weapon. As used in this paragraph, the term 'electroshock weapon' means any commercially available device that is powered by electrical charging units and designed exclusively to be capable of incapacitating a person by electrical charge, including, but not limited to, a stun gun or taser as defined in subsection (a) of Code 26 Section § 16-11-106.

Yes, as long as they are 18 years of age or older (or currently enrolled in classes on the campus.)

No. The law's current terminology states that it covers any property owned by (or leased to) a public institution of postsecondary education.

No.

No, the code section does not specify requirements on carrying methods.

Defensive purposes only (to protect self or others.)

Yes, the law indicates that they are permitted "in or on any building or real property owned by or leased to ... public institution[s] of postsecondary education" under these conditions:

1. The individual is either "18 years of age or older or currently enrolled in classes on the campus."
2. The electroshock weapon is a "commercially available device designed exclusively to incapacitate a person by electrical charge", and
3. Its use is only for the "defense of self or others."

Legal and academic consequences will likely result in the event an electroshock device is activated for any purpose other than defense against clear and present danger.

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, the law does not give “individual institutions discretion to bar or further limit handguns on their campuses.”

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, the law does not give “individual institutions discretion to bar or further limit handguns on their campuses.”

No. It is the responsibility of those who choose to carry handguns on campus to make themselves aware of where and when they can do so. They can learn which of their classes include high school students by asking the registrar, as can faculty members and their classmates. In fact, the USG does not recommend that faculty members make announcements in class because it may lead to confusion among students resulting from inconsistencies between different professors and different classes.

No. State law grants lawful weapons carriers the ability to carry handguns to public college and university classes (except those in which high school students are enrolled), and faculty members may not ask lawful weapons carriers to reveal that they are carrying concealed handguns or in any way discourage them from doing what they are legally allowed to do.

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, the law does not give “individual institutions discretion to bar or further limit handguns on their campuses.”

No. According to the USG guidance on the campus carry, the law does not give “individual institutions discretion to bar or further limit handguns on their campuses.” In any situation, if you have concerns about someone who is emotionally distraught potentially harming themselves or others, contact University Police.

No, however any concerns about suspicious or unlawful behavior should be reported to University Police.

We recommend that supervisors guide their employees to ung.edu/campuscarry for information. If additional resources are needed, please contact UNG Police Chief Greg Williams at greg.williams@ung.edu.