The Government of the Student Body passed a bill Wednesday night recommending campus police to be armed at all times with a final vote of 23-5-0.

The bill passed after a 45 minute debate that included not only cabinet members and senators, but also residents of the Iowa State community.

The vote comes after a survey was conducted to gather an opinion on the issue. Open forums to discuss arming campus poilice were held as well.

As of now, all the 31 campus police officers are fully trained to carry firearms, but are not allowed to do so while on campus duty. The recommendation to arm police included citations of certain situations requiring armed officers.

Warren Madden, vice president of business and finance, cq spoke of the roles the Department of Public Safety holds on campus and said that Iowa State receives about 2,000 annual reported offenses.

“[Our job] is to provide the safest community we can for those of you at Iowa State,” he said.

Jerry Stewart, director of public safety, cq also agreed with that idea and said that history has taught us that we are not immune to any attack. He said officers must be continually trained to “look at the big picture and not just respond [to calls].”

Some members of GSB shared similar opinions on the topic, while others had their reservations or simply disagreed.

Charles Wakefield, GSB senator and senior in computer engineering, cq said campus police do not need to be armed to do their job.

“I admit, they are well-trained, but they just don’t have the experience,” he said.

Cole England, GSB senator and sophomore in vetrinary medicine, cq however thought that it was important to keep in mind that the future is inevitable, and having faith in the system is the strongest thing we can possess.

“We have to trust that these [guns] would be used as a last resort, just as we trust that the car at the stop sign will actually stop,” he said.

Menachem Stern, a resident of Schilletter-University Village and originally from Israel, cq felt the entire bill is the wrong way to deal with problems on campus.

“The moment you give him [police officer]a gun in his hand, he may have a taser, he may have pepper spray, but he will always reach for the gun.”