Can I Bring My Gun To College?
Concealed Carry & Laws at Colleges & Universities
Currently, in 22 states, it’s illegal to carry a concealed weapon on a college campus. In 25 states, the decision is left to the individual college or university. So far, five states, (Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Mississippi) require universities to allow concealed weapons on campus.
This number may go up. In Arizona, state lawmakers are pushing three bills this year focused on arming professors and other individuals 21 years or older. Texas is also looking hard at allowing firearms into universities.
The University of Colorado (CU) and Colorado State University (CSU) are the newest schools to enter this controversy. A decision by the Colorado Supreme Court said state law didn’t give University the authority to ban concealed carry. Deb Coffin, Vice Chancellor for CU Student Affairs, now says “It is legal now to bring your concealed carry weapon with you, as long as you’re a permit holder and keep it concealed.”
The school has reluctantly complied with the State Supreme Court ruling in March 2012 that overturned a campus ban on all firearms. In Colorado, you must be 21 to be eligible for a concealed carry permit. But now, if students have one, they can bring their guns to class, the bookstore, the quad — almost anywhere on the campus.
There are some restrictions. Under CU’s new policy, guns are still banned from sporting events and dorms. According to an analysis done by CU, only 0.6 percent of the faculty, staff and students on campus possess a CCW. The report also stated 96 percent of CU-Boulder undergraduate students living in the residence halls are under the age of 21, making then too young to have a CCW.
Although concealed weapons aren’t allowed in undergraduate dormitories at CU, they will make provisions to accommodate those with concealed carry permits.
Students with concealed carry permits can carry a concealed handgun on campus and into the school’s buildings, but they cannot take the weapon on Folsom Field and any other ticketed public performance event.
Yes the Second Amendment allows us the right to bear arms and I am a big fan of it, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 2010 Chicago case that an individual’s right to bear arms can be tempered by bans on weapons in “sensitive places” such as schools and government buildings.
School shootings are rare but they do occur. Here are some high profile incidents.
The Northern Illinois University shooting Feb. 14, 2008, where Steven Kazmierczak shot multiple people on the campus killing five and injuring 21, before committing suicide.
The Virginia Tech shooting April 16, 2007, when Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 others in two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, before committing suicide.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville Feb. 12, 2010 Amy Bishop (a biology professor) began shooting and killed three people wounded another three. She has been charged with one count of capital murder and three counts of attempted murder.
For up to the date info, go to the National Conference of State Legislatures, you will be shocked at the number of times handguns have been involved in shootings at all different grade levels of schools and universities.
So the big question is, should guns be allowed in a academic environment. What do you think?