This is a big deal to a lot of people for some reason. Maybe because it’s Massachusetts.

The Salem News reports.

Endicott to arm campus police

The decision to arm Endicott College campus police didn’t come easily for President Richard Wylie.

But after months of discussion throughout the wider campus community and rolling out many new campus safety initiatives — more security cameras, a smartphone app students can use for instructions during an emergency — Wylie and his colleagues believed it had to be done.

Endicott is not alone in arming its officers — Gordon College campus officers have carried guns for the last few years, according to Chief Glenn Deckert. Salem State University officers have been armed since 2004, said Karen Cady, senior director of university relations.

That doesn’t mean, however, Wylie was pleased about arming Endicott officers.

“I think it’s fair to say that it’s not something I wanted to do,” he said, noting Endicott is a “safe campus.”

Looking at other recent tragic incidents, however — 14 people shot and killed at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California in December, the slaughter of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012 — that forced college officials to take a hard look at how to prepare if something like that ever happened at Endicott.

Starting this summer, one or two officers will carry a sidearm during each of the department’s three shifts.

While Wylie said there may be concern of use of excessive force by an officer, he said officers have been trained to only use their weapons if they feel they are in danger or a student’s safety is threatened.