COEUR d'ALENE - The Coeur d'Alene City Council voted to voice its opposition to two legislative issues that are working their way through the state Legislature this week.

House Bills 426 and 427 both would allow Idahoans to refuse to do business with those they object to for religious reasons. If passed, the bill could conflict with the city's recently adopted anti-bias ordinance.

Senate Bill 1254 would allow retired law enforcement officers and people with enhanced concealed weapons permits to carry concealed weapons on college campuses.

Coeur d'Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood, as a member of the city's legislative committee, recommended the council oppose both state efforts.

As a timely example, Wood, who also sits on North Idaho College's Board of Trustees, said that a student was arrested Monday morning for allegedly carrying a concealed handgun on campus.

"(Monday) morning the Coeur d'Alene Police Department responded to North Idaho College Campus Hedlund Building," she said. "A student was concerned about another student who was carrying a concealed weapon."

She said the suspect, Michael Rustin Dan, 34 of Rathdrum, reportedly brandished the weapon in front of a student last Thursday, and made some disturbing comments that alarmed the student.

However, nobody reported the Thursday incident until Monday, Wood said.

"(Monday) he shows up again - he was not so much showing the weapon around - but he was showing his speed loader, and once again, making strange statements that alarmed students," he said. "It was a very delicate situation because they needed to get students out of the classroom without causing any kind of confrontation."

She said the situation was resolved peacefully and the student was placed under arrest for carrying a concealed weapon without a concealed-carry permit, and drug paraphernalia.

Wood said police learned later that Dan is allegedly addicted to methamphetamines, has apparent relationship problems, and he reportedly told police he didn't care if he lives or dies.

Wood said he has also made suicide threats in the past.

"He was on campus carrying because he thought it was legal," she said. "He had heard that it was legal."

She said if the Senate bill passes, research shows that situation may become a more common scenario on campus.

"There is a lot of potential with this concealed carry law to dramatically increase violence on college and university campuses that our officers are empowered to protect," she told the council.

She said NIC and other colleges in Idaho paid for a study on the issue when the Legislature proposed similar legislation 2011.

"The study was very telling that having guns on campus is not going to increase safety on campus," she said, adding there are likely to be unintended consequences if the bill is passed.

She said the study shows that reckless shootings are likely to increase, resulting in more injuries and deaths on campus. It would also increase homicides and suicides, as well as expose local law enforcement officers to increased danger.

She said law enforcement is not opposed to increased safety on college campuses, and neither is the NIC board of trustees. They just don't agree that arming students is the proper way to address that.

Wood said the college is currently talking with the department to explore alternatives that would increase the level of safety at NIC. That could include armed security officers or a program similar to the School Resource Officer programs in local high schools.

Councilman Dan Gookin said he was not going to oppose the legislation because he believes it violates the Second Amendment of the Constitution. He said the argument for local control is flawed in his opinion.

"Quite honestly we don't have local control in Idaho," he said. "I mean the Legislature dictates to us what we do and this is a good example."

Councilman Steve Adams said he would not oppose the legislation for similar reasons.

Regardless, the council voted 4-2 to send a letter to the Legislature opposing the legislation.

Wood, who is also on the board of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, presented the legislative committee's recommendation to oppose two house bills that she said would open the door for discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"It could seriously weaken all of the anti-discrimination ordinances in seven Idaho cities including Coeur d'Alene," she said, adding that the legislation would probably be amended after a hearing was held last week that generated a backlash of citizen opposition to the bill.

Futhermore, she said the Idaho Attorney General's Office has studied the bills and advised that they may not be constitutional.

Wood said the city legislative committee recommended opposing those efforts.

"I feel these bills could damage our ability to attract business to our area by creating a climate that does not treat people fairly or equally," Councilwoman Amy Evans said after Wood's presentation.

With that said, Gookin made the motion to send a letter to the Legislature opposing the bills.

It passed 5-1, with Adams opposing the motion.