Legislation was introduced Monday in Boise that would carve out exemptions for carrying firearms on Idaho's college campuses.

Mark Browning, North Idaho College's vice president of community relations, noted that NIC already has its own policy banning firearms on campus.

The legislation introduced Monday in the Senate State Affairs Committee by committee chairman Curt McKenzie - a Nampa Republican - would potentially interfere with NIC's existing gun policy, Browning said.

“We feel that that takes away the local control issue,” Browning said in a post-meeting interview in the state capitol. 

The measure would allow “certain licensed persons,” to carry firearms on college campuses.

“By carving out those exemptions what it does is erodes our local board's authority to make decisions that impact its own campus,” Browning said.

Browning also said:

“...our (NIC's) contention, is that trustees in Coeur d'Alene, Twin Falls, and Nampa have a much better relationship with their own community, have a much better feel for what's appropriate on their campus. And, if you take that authority away and move it to Boise, it's just another example of local control eroded.”

Browning said that NIC intends to testify on the legislation when it comes up for a full hearing in the Senate State Affairs Committee.

Browning said the NIC board of trustees is best suited to collaborate with entities such as the Kootenai County Sheriff and the Coeur d'Alene Police Department “to make the decision that's best for our campus, because we know our campus.”