Weapons Storage Available at Public Safety

NMU Public Safety expects an influx of weapons being registered for storage this week as student hunting enthusiasts gear up for Michigan’s firearm deer season, which runs Nov. 15-30. Faculty and staff are also welcome to drop them off at Public Safety in the morning for pickup later in the day, as university ordinance prohibits weapons anywhere else on campus, including vehicles.

The check-in/check-out procedure was recently automated with the help of a system developed by Information Technology-Technical Services. Students used to fill out paper cards to register their weapons and Public Safety staff would manually write on those cards every time the weapon was checked out and back in.

“Now they fill out a registration card that we use for data entry, but from that point on, they can check in and out on an electronic signature pad similar to those you see at stores, provided they have a photo ID,” said Julie Genore (Public Safety). “We can also print out labels to tag each weapon registered. We used to hand-write those, but this system is more accurate. The final phase is developing a report function so we can generate a log of activity and monitor the volume of weapons in storage. Last year, there were nearly 600 total weapons registered. Eventually we’ll have the capability to e-mail students confirmations of when their weapons are checked in and out.”

Projectile weapons that fall under university policy include rifles, shotguns, handguns and bows, along with airsoft, paintball and bb guns. Upon check-in, owners open a door to a “weapons pass-through” cabinet near the dispatcher’s station and place the item inside.  A Public Safety employee then opens a door on the opposite side, within the restricted area, and processes the item for storage.

Public Safety, which offers 24/7 check-in and checkout, should be the first stop for those transporting weapons before entering campus and the last stop before leaving. Firearms need to travel in cases, which stay with the gun owner and are not stored. A gun-cleaning facility in the Services Building is open after 5 p.m. weekdays and on weekends.

Students are informed of the NMU weapons policy at orientation. Visitors who have a concealed weapon permit, such as parents who come for Family Weekend, have also registered guns at Public Safety during their time on campus.

Hanging storage for bows, which was previously increased, is nearing capacity again. Genore said archery is becoming more popular as year-round recreation with the prevalence of indoor ranges and winter leagues, in addition to the open bow-and-arrow deer season Oct. 1-Nov. 14 and Dec. 1-Jan. 1.

To see the weapons and explosives policy, visit Public Safety.