“Legalizing permitted handguns on college campuses took its first major step toward approval Thursday after three hours of debate in a legislative committee. Gun advocates, faculty, students and college police chiefs lined up on all sides of the controversial issue that has arisen in the wake of campus shootings nationwide, including at LSU and Baton Rouge’s Louisiana Technical College. House Bill 199 by Rep. Ernest Wooten, R-Belle Chasse, was approved in an 11-3 vote in the House Criminal Justice Committee. HB199 next moves to debate in the full House. Wooten said allowing more responsible people to legally carry guns would serve as a deterrent to killers and not create the ‘wild, wild west.’” (05/02/08)