KU Hospital president and CEO Bob Page. Photo courtesy of KU Hospital.

The University of Kansas Hospital has endorsed proposed state legislation that would weaken the law allowing concealed guns on state university campuses starting this summer. Specifically, the House bill would permanently exempt several types of health care facilities and colleges from the law that allows guns in public buildings, The Associated Press has reported. Otherwise, that exemption will expire July 1.

The hospital, in a statement released Thursday, said it — the state’s only academic hospital — would be exempted if the proposed bill passed. If the bill does not pass, KU Hospital would be the only hospital in the Kansas City metropolitan area required to allow concealed guns.

KU Hospital president and CEO Bob Page said, in a video interview provided by the hospital, that would be a problem when competing for patients and staff. Also, he said, it would be dangerous.

“When people come to a hospital, they’re sick, they’re scared … so it’s a very high stress environment on a daily basis. The thought of adding guns to that environment is simply incomprehensible,” Page said.

Currently with its security system in place, the hospital does confiscate weapons — guns, knives and even swords — regularly, Page said. Also, he reminded that in the 1980s a resident was killed when someone with a rifle came into the emergency room and opened fire.

“The issue has nothing to do with gun rights or gun control,” the hospital statement said. “It is about the safety of our patients, visitors and staff.”

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• I’m the Journal-World’s KU and higher ed reporter. See all the newspaper’s KU coverage here. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com, by phone at 832-7187, on Twitter @saramarieshep or via Facebook at Facebook.com/SaraShepherdNews.