Professor shoots himself and many have started wondering, should weapons be permitted on campus? Last week, an Idaho State University professor accidentally shot himself in the foot. Byron L. Bennett who is an assistant professor of chemistry at the Idaho State University injured his foot after the loaded weapon in his pocket went off.
Professor shoots himself in class and story makes headlines.
On Tuesday, an Idaho State University professor was rushed to the hospital after shooting himself in the foot. The professor has been identified as Byron L. Bennett.
Mr Bennett is an assistant professor of chemistry who has a Ph.D. in Inorganic – Organometallic Chemistry from the University of Wyoming.
The chemist has been with the school since 2007 and is well respected among his peers.
The professor has 24 publications to his credit and has collaborated with 37 co-authors between 1995 and 2010.
According to local media outlets, the professor was giving a lecture at around 4:00 p.m. at the Physical Science Complex at 785 South Eighth Avenue, when the small caliber handgun that he had concealed in his pants pocket discharged.
None of the 20 students in the class room were injured. The rest of the campus (the school has over 14,000 students) was not alerted after the shooting.
The professor was taken to the Portneuf Medical Center where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
He was released the following day and has refused to comment on the incident.
Pocatello Police Lieutenant Paul Manning who was investigating the matter said that it was an isolated incident and no one will be charged.
Manning went on to reveal that the professor possesses an Idaho Enhanced Concealed Weapons Permit, an Idaho Basic Concealed Weapons Permit and a Utah Concealed Weapons Permit.
The professor’s Enhanced Concealed Weapons permit allows him to walk around in some areas with a loaded gun while on the Idaho State University campus thanks to a law that went into effect on July 1 of this year.
School officials are not permitted to carry weapons in the physical science complex but can do so in the chemistry lab where the the gun was discharged.
A statement released by the officials from Idaho State University read:
“At this point it is believed to be an isolated incident.We don’t have any reason to believe students or anybody else in our Bengal community has any reason to be concerned.”
School officials called the incident sad and announced that they plan to interview the students who witnessed the shooting.
Democrats are already seizing on the incident to make a larger point, saying that they knew something like this would happen the day Idaho Gov. Butch Otter signed the Republican-led legislature known as SB 1254 into law.
In July, Idaho joined six other states Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin that allow concealed weapons on campus.
An Idaho State University professor shooting incident, now has political ramifications.
Professor shoots himself, sparking an intense conversation on the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.
