PORTLAND, Ore. -- On a sunny, autumn day, Oregon Health & Science University Security Officer Harry Jackson, strolled the grounds outside the Emergency Room. As he walked, he pointed to his belt, laden with his own emergency resources.

"Here I have my tazer, I have my mace, my flashlight and I always have this," said Jackson, as he pointed to his head.

But in the future, Jackson may get to add something else to his arsenal: a gun. OHSU's Critical Incident Readiness Task Force is considering the idea, in light of to the Virginia Tech massacre in spring of 2007.

"We're looking very specifically at, if there was an active shooting incident is our campus, would our existing capability be adequate," said Emergency Management Program Director, Joe Partridge.

Even if the task force goes forward with the idea, Partridge said right now, state law prohibits campus officers from carrying guns and would require campus officials to seek legislative change.

A change in that legislation would be a welcome one, said Jackson, himself a well-known former Portland Police Officer.

"If you're faced with a situation, you don't have a chance to go back and call Portland (Police Bureau), or arm yourself then," said Jackson. "You have to deal with what you have right there because a lot of times your life or a third person's life could depend upon your actions."

Oregon Health and Science University. (KGW file photo)

Of the thousands of visitors and patients that daily filter through OHSU's campus, some like Jay Lindquist, agree with Jackson.

"I definitely think (security officers) could protect us better with actual guns," said Lindquist. "I feel safe now, but I'd definitely feel safer if they had guns."

Others, including Dr. Ed Dyer, who works on campus, disagree.

"God forbid someone came on campus with a gun," said Dyer, "but I don't see how an armed (security officer) is really going to stop that from occurring, given the surprise and all."

Right now the school is just discussing the idea of arming its security officers. If it does happen, Partridge said security officers would first go through 16 weeks of Police Academy training, the same training all Oregon Police Officers receive.

OHSU officials planned to take public comment on the idea of arming its security officers at a meeting Thursday night, from 6 to 8 p.m. at University Place on 310 Southwest Lincoln.