THE US: It is a role that Prof Bernard Machen, like most university presidents, would surely never have dreamed would be part of his job. These days, the President of the University of Utah is spending much of his time leading a campaign to defend the right of his university and other public institutions in the state to ban the carrying of weapons on their premises.
He maintains that the presence of guns is not conducive to the peace of mind required in a university, and insists the college should be allowed to maintain a longstanding policy that prohibits even licence holders from carrying concealed weapons.
No way, says the state. And the Attorney General, Mr Mark Shurtleff, is promising legal actions and possibly fines against recalcitrant colleges unless they repeal gun bans in conformity with the governor's recent order to all state institutions - that includes schools, campuses, day care centres, parks and hospitals.
Churches may only ban guns if they post a notice on the door and only airports, jails and mental hospitals can ban them completely.
"I'm not saying we ought to arm the whole student body," Mr Shurtleff says, "but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that more guns equals less crime." And what gives the dispute a new twist is that gun lobbyists are insisting on their right to carry weapons to events at the Winter Olympics next month, most specifically in the Delta Centre, Salt Lake City's main arena and the venue of the ice skating events.
"Delta Centre is in defiance of our law right now," the legislative lobbyist for Gun Owners of Utah, Mr Winton Aposhian, told the New York Times. "We'll deal with them next after we're done with the universities." Mr Aposhian, who carries a 40-calibre baby Glock pistol at all times, says: "This academic freedom defence is really pathetic. They're saying if I disagree with someone they're afraid I'm going to shoot them. Well guess what: there are small people who may be afraid of football players beating them up, but we don't ban football players from the classroom."
State legislators are currently working on legislation to make it easier to obtain a licence to carry a concealed weapon - to obtain a permit currently a person must be 21, must prove that he or he does not have a criminal record or a history of mental illness, and must pass a gun safety course.
