Controversy arose throughout the state’s college and university community last year when Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, proposed a bill to allow licensed handgun owners to carry concealed weapons on campus.The House committee Wooton chairs passed the measure, 11-3, but Wooton pulled the bill off the floor in the last stages of the Legislative session.Wooton proclaimed back then that as long as he is in the Legislature, he would file the bill in every session. And he stayed true to his word Monday.Wooton proposed an identical bill Monday — a measure we think is unnecessary.He argued last year the passage of the bill would increase the safety of people who have to be out and about on campuses late at night.For the bill to become law, a loophole would have to be made in a current law that prohibits carrying handguns near courthouses, schools and government buildings.Having easy access to weapons does little to prevent harm, and one could argue everyone walking around with a concealed firearm increases the risk of injury.The fact this bill failed in the Legislature last year should send a message to state congressmen and residents.Numerous university officials across the state — including Chancellor Michael Martin — opposed the bill then and feel the same way now. Student Government passed a resolution supporting the bill last spring — a resolution then SG President Cassie Alsfeld later vetoed.We admire Wooton’s continuous determination to try and do what he believes is right for the safety of college students and faculty across the state. But awareness and increased security measures by trained professionals have worked for the most part in the past. And there’s no reason to believe they won’t continue to do so.Guns aren’t the answer to everything.–Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]