Campus Carry Debate Not Yet Over in Colorado

Looks like Republican lawmakers aren’t all that happy with Colorado State University banning guns on campus altogether.

While CSU does not allow weapons of any kind in its residence halls, individuals are allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus as long as they have a properly issued concealed weapons permit.  Last week, however, the CSU Board of Governors voted 9-0 to implement a policy that would leave the specifics of the school’s weapon control policy up to campus presidents.  The policy shift is predicted to result in a campus wide ban, with most board members supporting that course of action.

The resolution alludes to the potential danger of allowing concealed weapons on campus.  “The idea that concealed carry poses a danger to the campus is absolutely backwards,” said Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Loveland.  “Allowing concealed carry actually makes the CSU campus a safer place.  Imagine how the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech could have turned out differently if those students had been armed and able to protect themselves.”

I think it’s reasonable for colleges to be concerned about residence halls, particularly about being able to properly secure and store a gun in that kind of environment. You’d really need a clearing barrel or equivalent, which would be a dead giveaway to thieves. But I agree with the Republican Senators that banning people who do not live on campus, but who have state licenses to carry concealed, goes too far. Hopefully we can get a fix there.

Related posts (automatically generated):

  1. Campus Carry in Virginia
  2. CNN Story on Campus Carry
  3. Local Coverage of Empty Holster Protest

10 thoughts on “Campus Carry Debate Not Yet Over in Colorado”

  1. Unfortunately, the policy just enacted by CSU is the one already in place at the University of Colorado. A group recently tried to bring this to court, but the judge basically laughed it off. It turns out (as ruled) that the Regents of CU are a (state) constitutionally-created body and as such their edicts carry the weight of law and are backed by the state.

    With any luck, the CSU ban will get overturned and maybe we can get some momentum here in Boulder (fat chance, I know) to get ours overturned.

  2. I think it’s reasonable for colleges to be concerned about residence halls, particularly about being able to properly secure and store a gun in that kind of environment. You’d really need a clearing barrel or equivalent, which would be a dead giveaway to thieves.

    Bah. My university provides firearm storage for students who live in residence halls. The one that was in my dorm was in a secured, windowless room in the basement. The only caveats were that you had to talk to an RA in order to access your firearm, and that it had to be trigger locked while on campus grounds. It’s my understanding that my university isn’t unusual in this regard.

  3. I said it was a reasonable concern. I didn’t say that the only way to deal with that concern was by prohibition. If a university wanted to provide lockers, obviously I’d be fine with that.

  4. Modern concerns interest me …

    When I was younger (jr high and high school), I used to bring guns to school and keep them in my locker until after school, when we’d go shoot and hunt. Lots of us did it.

    Also when I was younger (college freshman and sophomore), I used to keep guns in the closet of my dorm room. We had the option of giving them to the RA, to keep them in his closet in his dorm room, but we weren’t required to do so.

    But now … oh daddy … this is a HUGE problem and cause for alarm. Amazing.

  5. I can’t tell from the article what the legal force of this is. Here in ID, there is no criminal prosecution, just discipline from the school. A couple years ago, when the state legislature expanded and clarified the preemption statute, state schools would have been included under it like UT. Universities had a fit and convinced the legislature to give them an exemption. Hopefully we can repeal that in the future.

  6. Bombloader …

    Imagine that you were a student, a faculty member, or a staff member at said University. You get caught carrying, and you’re gone.

    So yes … visitors are exempt (in some states) from criminal prosecution. But most people on campus need to protect themselves, yet risk being fired or suspended. That is plenty of “force” indeed.

  7. Carl-
    I wasn’t defending the policy just asking if jail time was involved.

  8. I’m sorry, you seem to have skipped over the entire zombie issue, and also what CU student socks smell like, obviously the true crux of this matter. Perhaps a supplemental post later?

  9. The way stuff is, I think clearing your weapon on the way in, then keeping a magazine ready to go is a great step forward, instead of back. For the people that care enough to follow the rules, i.e., not the bad guys looking to blow away classmates, and that are shooting enthusiests (I know that’s misspelled, but it’s late as hell) it takes 2 seconds or less to get a mag in place and chamber a round. It’s how we carry on base when deployed, I think it’d be a good standard at home. My 2 cents.

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