One issue, two bills

Everybody agrees that stopping sexual assault on campus is an urgent priority.

But not everybody agrees on what ought to be done about it. Sometimes, even members of the same political party disagree.

Take U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev. He’s part of a bipartisan group of 12 senators who are re-introducing a piece of legislation aimed at fixing the problem of campus rapes. The Campus Safety and Accountability Act was written based on input from students, university officials, police officers and even rape survivors.

Among other things, the bill would establish a uniform process for handling discipline (not allowing, for example, an athletic department to handle student discipline in its own way); provide training for everyone who investigates these crimes or counsels victims; create an anonymous, nationwide survey to get a better handle on how widespread the problem is; require memorandums of understanding with local police so campus authorities and nearby law enforcement departments don’t end up debating jurisdiction when a crime occurs; and withhold certain federal funds from universities that fail to follow the rules.

“As the father of two young women, one of whom is in college, I am proud to reintroduce the Campus Accountability and Safety Act with my colleagues today,” Heller said in a statement. “Students throughout this country should be able to focus on studying for exams or spending time finding an internship, not worrying about their safety during their college experience.

“After receiving feedback from survivors, schools, advocacy groups, and law enforcement, we strengthened this legislation to ensure that schools have the tools to address the needs of survivors of sexual assault, as well as enhance strategies to make campuses safer for all students. Combating sexual assault is an issue I am committed to. I will continue working with stakeholders on this issue and my Senate colleagues to move this important legislation forward.”

Heller is sponsoring the bill with Democrats Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mark Warner of Virginia, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Gary Peters of Michigan and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island; along with Republicans Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Marco Rubio of Florida, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Roy Blunt of Missouri.

Meanwhile, here in Nevada, another Republican is advancing a different idea to combat sexual assault: guns.

Assemblywoman Michele Fiore is set this week to introduce her “campus carry” legislation. Assembly Bill 148 has 21 co-sponsors (all Republican) and would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry their guns onto university campuses, private or public schools, child care facilities and into the unsecured areas of an airport.

Like Heller, Fiore also cites the support and input of a campus rape survivor, Amanda Collins, who was without her handgun when she was assaulted in a University of Nevada Reno parking garage in 2007. Collins has testified repeatedly to the Nevada Legislature that she might have been able to fend off her attacker if she was allowed to carry her gun on campus.

So there you have it: Two Republicans, two different approaches to campus safety. But while the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan bill will very likely have an impact on rooting out violators (the National Institute of Justice reported in 2008 that between 85 percent and 90 percent of these crimes are perpetrated by a someone the victim knows), Fiore’s approach has no such guarantees.

Yes, more guns on campus (especially in experienced, well-trained hands) might prevent assault. But it’s entirely possible that those guns could end up being used against their owners, that an innocent person could be shot during a legitimate case of self-defense, or that a campus police officer could mistake an armed victim for an active shooter.

Those risks just aren’t present in the Senate bill. It’s something for the Nevada Legislature to consider.

Steve Sebelius is a Las Vegas Review-Journal political columnist who blogs at SlashPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter (@SteveSebelius) or reach him at 702-387-5276 or ssebelius@reviewjournal.com.