Chancellor Michael Martin said he is “perplexed” about the rationale behind a recently filed bill that seeks to give licensed students, faculty and staff the ability to carry concealed handguns on campus. “I have not figured out how having concealed weapons on campus will in any way improve … the safety of a university,” Martin said. Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, filed the bill — identical to one he submitted last year — on Monday. Last year, House Bill 199 — approved by the House committee he chairs, 11-3 — was abandoned on the House floor after it fell seven votes shy of the 53 needed to pass. The bill is designed to improve safety on college campuses for students and faculty with the credentials to carry concealed firearms, Wooton said last year. University officials are criticizing the bill, echoing sentiments expressed in 2008.Martin said while a licensed, rational person may bring a gun to school for his or her protection if the bill were law, there is a danger of the weapon getting into unstable hands.The bill would eliminate an exception in state law that prohibits carrying firearms near schools, courthouses and government buildings.Tulane University spokesman Michael Strecker told The Times-Picayune on Tuesday the bill is not in the best interest of students, faculty and staff. “We believe college campuses, like elementary and high schools, houses of worship, courthouses, parades, polling places, airports, the State Capitol and government buildings, should remain gun-free zones,” Strecker said. This year’s Legislative session begins April 27.—-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]