Number of U.S. Colleges Allowing Campus Carry Doubles

[Douva]

In the past week, the number of U.S. colleges allowing concealed carry on campus has more than doubled, from 12 to 26. You can follow the latest campus carry news at CampusCarry.com and ConcealedCampus.org.

Colo. community colleges to allow permit-holders to carry guns
By Samantha Abernethy
The Associated Press
Posted: 05/14/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

Administrators of the state's community college system have decided to repeal a policy banning concealed weapons from its 13 campuses to comply with a court ruling against a similar ban on University of Colorado campuses.

The Colorado Community College System made the change Monday.

Aims Community College similarly revised its campus weapons policy for its five campuses. Aims president Marilynn Marsi Liddell said the decision was made to comply with court rulings and state law.

The school's board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday during a special session. Aims is not under the Colorado Community College System.

CSU rescinded ban May 5

Colorado State University also decided May 5 to rescind its proposed ban on concealed weapons in response to the April 15 court decision and under threat of a lawsuit from gun-rights groups. CSU declined to comment on the recent community college decision.

The 2003 Concealed Carry Act prohibits local governments from limiting concealed-carry rights. To obtain a concealed-carry permit, applicants must be at least 21 and undergo an extensive background check.

The appeals court sided with Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which argued that the CU policy violated the act as a local governing body.

A judge had previously thrown out the CU case in May 2009, saying he found nothing in the state constitution that would prohibit a campus gun ban.

"It is good to see that SCCC's victory against CU is having a ripple effect around Colorado," said Jim Manley, an attorney with the Mountain States Legal Foundation, adding it is one less lawsuit needed to enforce state law.

Dudley Brown, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Association, said his organization is pressuring other colleges to change their policies with the threat of legal action.

"If these bureaucrats want to change public policy, they need to run for the legislature," Brown said. "Short of that, they need to sit down, shut up, read the law and allow citizens the tools of self-defense as clearly spelled out in state law."

Gun-rights advocates say campus gun bans make students vulnerable to attack.

Currently, 26 states ban concealed weapons on any school property. Twenty-two states allow individual campuses to decide.

Brown said he had also been in contact with Aims recently about changing its policy. He said Weld County Sheriff John Cooke told students, in no uncertain terms, that he would not jail a permit holder for carrying on campus.

Brown said his organization is focusing its efforts on the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, trying to persuade a change to its weapons policy.

UNC spokesman Nate Haas said the college is reviewing its weapons policy. It currently states weapons are prohibited "except as permitted by Colorado law."

CU weighing legal options

CU continues to enforce its 1994 policy banning weapons from campus. The deadline to request the appeals court to rehear the case has passed, and the university has until June 1 to appeal the decision to the Colorado Supreme Court.

CU spokesman Ken McConnellogue said the university is still weighing legal options and will decide after attorneys consult with the Board of Regents.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Kudos to the Colorado colleges/universities for
seeing the light!

SIA

[Purplehood]

Is a Campus-carry double anything like a body-double? I guess a little distraction can throw a mad gunman off while we all run screaming away.