Faculty in Colorado Told to Allow Concealed Carry
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
In many states, college campuses are still a no-go for lawful carry. Michigan makes in unlawful to carry in a college classroom or dormitory. Most campuses ban carry for students and employees. There are some states, such as Utah, that allow it. Well, now Colorado joins them. The Supreme Court of Colorado said that campuses can't prohibit concealed carry. Despite this, some professors said they would cancel class if some permit holder had a concealed gun. The chancellor responded by telling them they could not do this. Personally, I have no problem with university carry. In Michigan, most college students are under 21, so the majority of students would not be able to carry anyway.
7 comments:
Steve,
I'm trying to parse the logic of your last two sentences. Do you not have a problem with it because 2/3 to 3/4 those on campus can't to it anyway, or do you not have a problem with it because you believe allowing more guns to be legally carried on campus does not increase the probability that individuals on campus could be injured or killed by a firearm? Or am I not grasping your point?
I'm not trying to be a smartass. It just seems to me that those two statements are contradictory.
I probably am just not doing a good job of making my point, Jay. Let me try this again. IMO, I think that permit holders should be allowed to pretty much carry anywhere. I think that businesses and that private property owners should be allowed to exclude carry, but public places and government owned property should not be allowed to, with the exception of secure facilities, such as prisons, mental hospitals, etc.
I guess my comment on the age had more to do with the fact that campuses would have very few people carrying, anyway. Only about 3-4% of people over 21 in MI get permits. Of those, most don't carry on a regular basis. I don't know how many students would carry on campus, but I doubt it would amount to very many. I honestly don't know the effect it would have on campus safety.
Okay, that is the context I needed. You were not making a point about safety (perceived or real), but rather about where and under what circumstances it is appropriate to limit carry. Thanks for the clarification.
I know an instructor in Utah. Like I said, they allow college carry. So far, I believe it has run smoothly, but it may be too early to tell one way or the other.
I went to MSU in the late 1980's and they had just started reporting campus crime rates. IIRC, there were some high profile law suits in the mid-80's because colleges were either lying to prospective students or just not telling them about campus crime. I was shocked to learn that we were in the top 10 for violent crime. I don't know where they are now, but I could understand why some students wanted to be able to defend themselves.
At one time you made the arguement that restricting guns on campus is problematic because where a campus starts and a city begins is difficult to determine, making compliance difficult for gun users. I thought this was a compelling arguement.
The Michigan law prohibits carry in classrooms and dorms, so that is pretty clear. The problem occurs when some schools ban carry (through their own ordinances) across campus. In 2010, MSU changed their policy to allow carry on campus, as long as you didn't enter a building. They still prohibited students and employees from carry.
If you have any questions regarding the CWP training or law contact www.e2c.us or 1-866-371-6111 and the Instructors at Equip 2 Conceal will be happy to help you.
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