The latest on campus carry laws
By AACC 21st Century Center Staff
January 31, 2017
An update on which states are allowing—or close to allowing—guns on campuses.
More states are passing campus carry laws. Eight states have provisions allowing the carrying of concealed weapons on public postsecondary campuses: Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. This is according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.
In 24 states, the decision to ban or allow concealed weapons on campuses is made by each college or university individually: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
Here’s information on some recent legislation that’s made headlines:
Kansas: Beginning in July, concealed guns will be allowed on state college campuses. Recently, some lawmakers have sought to weaken that law. A bill introduced earlier this month would permanently exempt colleges and some types of health care facilities from the law that allows guns in public buildings.
Ohio: A bill signed last month allows firearms on campus only if the board of trustees at the institution agrees to allow concealed carry on campus. Most colleges won’t act on state concealed carry law, according to a Cleveland.com survey. At Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), “Tri-C’s Board of Trustees has no intention of taking action to permit concealed carry in Tri-C facilities,” President Alex Johnson wrote in a campus email. Read more in Community College Daily.
Texas: Campus carry took affect at Texas universities last year. Community colleges will be expected to implement the same policy on their campuses beginning August 1. There’s been a push recently to make an exemption to the law for campuses with early college high schools.
Wyoming: Despite protests from the University of Wyoming, lawmakers advanced a bill last week that would allow students and others who are not police officers to carry guns at UW and the state’s community colleges. The bill is headed to the full House, and also would need to pass the Senate.
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