Although recent events have brought attention to gun control in schools, Ames area officials said they are not threatened by students carrying guns to school.

Bob Selby, resource officer for Ames Community Schools, said gun control is not a big problem among students in Ames schools.

“Rarely do we encounter a student with a gun on campus. In the rare instance that that’s happened, he’s gotten it from home,” Selby said.

Two students have brought guns to Ames schools in the five years Selby has been school resource officer.

One brought an unloaded hunting gun belonging to his grandfather, and the other threatened students with a bebe gun, Selby said.

Although students have shown some interest in learning more about guns, there are no informational programs at the high school about guns or gun safety, Selby said.

“We have not included that in any of our proactive discussions,” he said.

“A lot of times I’ll have discussion times with a lot of the kids at the high school, and they’ll ask a lot of questions about gun-related issues, but we haven’t done anything formally.”

Selby also said students who use guns for hunting and target practice usually do so with their parents.

“The kids that I’ve encountered that have any kind of an interest in guns, they usually get that from home,” he said.

Carrying a gun without a permit has varying penalties in Ames, said Sgt. Michael Johns, Ames Police Department.

“The penalty may be enhanced with what type of weapon; there’s a lot of variables that go in with that — whether they’re a convicted felon with possession of a firearm or that kind of thing,” he said. “Anything involving a weapon is a serious misdemeanor or above.”

The opportunity for juveniles to obtain a gun in Story County is difficult, said Story County Sheriff Paul H. Fitzgerald.

“To purchase a firearm you have to be over 21 years of age, and there’s a questionnaire you have to fill out,” he said. “We do a background check: You must not be convicted of a felony, have a recent past of history of alcohol or drug abuse, a past history of mental illness [depending on treatment and severity], and you cannot have a convictions for domestic violence.”

Fitzgerald also said there is a three-day waiting period for applying for a gun permit and the sheriff’s office runs applicants’ names through the National Crime Information Center database of criminal histories before deciding whether the applicant is eligible to purchase a gun.

Another way to purchase guns is from gun shows, where the same purchasing laws apply. No gun shows are held in Story County, Fitzgerald said.

According to the Story County Sheriff’s Office guidelines, a permit is not needed to carry a gun if it is being legally transported in a secure and not easily accessible container, transported for target practice or hunting or used for personal protection when a person feels threatened.

Ames Outdoor, 4723 W. Lincoln Way, sells rifles, shotguns and muzzle loaders.

Al Lange, department manager for hunting and fishing at Ames Outdoor, said when people come in to buy guns, he calls the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to do a quick background check.

He said the system is effective in determining who can purchase guns.

“I think our background check system that the United States uses is a very good system,” he said, “and I believe that the government is trying all they can to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people.”