From the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, to the more recent tragedy at Sandy Hook, school shootings have stoked the subject of campus concealed carry into even more heated debate. The polarizing issue seems to have two main responses: Some react with a call for tighter restrictions on firearms and tougher measures to keep guns off school grounds. The other response, in the scope of this particular discussion, is to reduce concealed carry restrictions to allow students and/or teachers to defend themselves. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “In 2013, at least 19 states introduced legislation to allow concealed carry on campus in some regard. …5 states introduced legislation to prohibit concealed carry weapons on campus. None of these have bills passed.” (“Guns on Campus,” July 2013, http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/educ/guns-on-campus-overview.aspx, 9/17).
New Legislation
Of the 19 bills (that would allow campus concealed carry), two of them have passed, one in Arkansas and one in Kansas.
In sum, the Arkansas bill permits permit-holding university/college faculty members to concealed carry on school grounds and in school-owned/leased buildings (except in student dormitories), unless the governing board of the school passes its own policy specifically prohibiting concealed carry on the premises. If that’s the case, the policy expires after one year and must be renewed after that year, if it is to be continued.
The Kansas bill is more expansive (and about 10 pages longer) extends the right to carry a concealed firearm to both faculty members and students. The bill establishes that prohibiting campus concealed carry is a violation of Kansas’s “personal and family protection act,” unless the facility in question has “adequate security measures and the building is conspicuously posted” (Senate Substitute for HOUSE BILL No. 2052).
Current Legislation
As of this year (2013), 22 states (listed below) expressly prohibit concealed carry on campus grounds (as well as in school buildings) as part of state law. Another 22 states (see below) leave the decision up to the schools individually. The remaining 6 states allow campus concealed carry on school grounds* (also below).
| State-wide Ban | School Choice | Permitted State-wide* |
| Arkansas | Alabama | Colorado |
| California | Alaska | Kansas |
| Florida | Arizona | Mississippi |
| Georgia | Connecticut | Oregon |
| Illinois | Delaware | Utah |
| Louisiana | Hawaii | Wisconsin |
| Massachusetts | Idaho | |
| Michigan | Indiana | |
| Missouri | Iowa | |
| Nebraska | Kentucky | |
| Nevada | Maine | |
| New Jersey | Maryland | |
| New Mexico | Minnesota | |
| New York | Montana | |
| North Carolina | New Hampshire | |
| North Dakota | Pennsylvania | |
| Ohio | Rhode Island | |
| Oklahoma | South Dakota | |
| South Carolina | Vermont | |
| Tennessee | Virginia | |
| Texas | Washington | |
| Wyoming | West Virginia |
*The states that, at the state level, have enacted legislation allowing campus concealed carry each have specific provisions.
Colorado
In March 2012, Colorado struck down their ban on campus concealed carry on the grounds that it violated the state concealed carry law. According to the current Colorado law, concealed carry is permitted on school grounds, but schools set their own policies with regard to prohibiting CCW in the school buildings.
Kansas
The Kansas bill is mentioned in greater detail in the New Legislation section above.
Mississippi
Campus concealed carry is allowed on school grounds in Mississippi on the condition that concealed carriers pass a voluntary firearms safety course lead by a certified instructor.
Oregon
Oregon’s law allows campus concealed carry on school grounds, but, like Colorado, allows the schools’ governing bodies to prohibit carry within the facility buildings.
Utah
Of the 6 states, Utah is the only one that expressly disallows public post-secondary educational institutions from enacting any regulations or policies “that in any way inhibits or restricts the possession or use of firearms on either public or private property.” (53-5a-102. Uniform firearm laws.).
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s concealed carry law allows concealed carry on school grounds, but provides that schools that post clear signage can prohibit concealed carry within school buildings.
Disclaimer: The preceding article is not intended as a source of legal counsel. DO NOT USE it as a legal reference. If you have questions about the laws regarding concealed carry (including campus concealed carry), please contact your local authorities.
Sources: ncls.org, arkleg.state.ar.us, kslegislature.org, le.utah.gov, denvergov.org, billstatus.ls.state.ms.us, leg.state.or.us, docs.legis.wisconsin.gov
Featured image courtesy of criminalatt via freedigitalphotos.net
triathlete98 mike96256
Thanks I am just waiting for the barrage of hate mail I will get for that comment.! Everyone thinks they know how they will handle these things but you know as well as I that the level of stress involving a shooting changes everything. Heart rate increases, vision narrows as the fear and adrenaline increase and that changes everything in regards to shot placement, trigger control etc. I was scared to unbelievable degree when someone was shooting at me and yes it does get better over time and you do develop an ability to tune it out but this is not something most ccw holders experience. The people that scare me the most are the ones who just think they will see the threat and fire 3 rounds center mass and it will be done! Nope don’t work that way.
I have a daughter who is in kindergarten and I do not know what a good answer is but giving her teacher a gun is one I am not sure of. If you do then they have to go through serious training and no not just the basic ccw course.
I have trained in mixed martial arts for years and I taught a self defense class and most people will recoil and loose the ability defend themselves. This is at least until they get accustomed to having someone hit them or even put their hands on them.
Anyway – thanks for the positive response.
mike96256 not to mention that at the school I work is one of the largest schools in the chicagoland area and probably the most liberal at the same time. There is NO WAY they are going to allow CC in the school. Heck, they won’t bring dogs in cause it will cast a negative imagine on the school.
Then you add the teachers who most are newly out of college and full of “it”. I have tried to break up fights where its only me and about ten kids and you’ll see teachers just sitting there watching. So its not going to do any good giving them a gun.
triathlete98 mike96256
I am not surprised in the least by this as it is for the most part human nature to not want to get involved in a situation where you can get injured. Look at how many instances where people are being beaten and people just watch or fail to call for help. Having training goes a long way to solve that problem as it helps a person feel more confident in their abilities and thus over ride the fear to some degree. I believe even with training that it still takes a certain type of person who is willing to risk injury and goes into a situation unarmed or put themselves out there when there is an active shooter.
I believe most people want to rely on someone else to keep them safe and will snipe from the side lines about how this or that should be done. I have several friends in LE and one was involved in a shooting where he was shot at and people commented that he should have shot the guy in the leg. The only thing that saved my friend was that the persons weapon jammed.
As I said I do not know what the answer is as my wife is a professor and I would not trust her colleagues with anything more than a butter knife. I know this is harsh but it is a fact.
Good for you that are willing to put yourself out there where others will not. Be careful as will be seen as that aggressive guy who likes the violence. lol
triathlete98 mike96256
I am not surprised in the least
by this as it is for the most part human nature to not want to get
involved in a situation where you can get injured. Look at how many
instances where people are being beaten and people just watch or fail to
call for help. Having training goes a long way to solve that problem as
it helps a person feel more confident in their abilities and thus over
ride the fear to some degree. I believe even with training that it
still takes a certain type of person who is willing to risk injury and
goes into a situation unarmed or put themselves out there when there is
an active shooter.
I believe most people want to rely on
someone else to keep them safe and will snipe from the side lines about
how this or that should be done. I have several friends in LE and one
was involved in a shooting where he was shot at and people commented
that he should have shot the guy in the leg. The only thing that saved
my friend was that the persons weapon jammed.
As I said I do not
know what the answer is as my wife is a professor and I would not trust
her colleagues with anything more than a butter knife. I know this is
harsh but it is a fact.
Good for you that are willing to put yourself
out there where others will not. Be careful as will be seen as that
aggressive guy who is prone to violence. lol
mike96256 opps to late for that, lol. I have been on the carpet so many times. Good thing I am good at what I do otherwise they’d have gotten rid of me a long time ago.
triathlete98 mike96256
I think it is great that you are willing to step in where others will not and I am sure the kids you help appreciate it. Nothing changes if everyone refuses to get involved.
Good luck on the mean street (or school)!
I’m not going to hate on you. I am going to disagree with your views.
Keeping schools as a gun free zone (GFZ) is the wrong type of thinking. I’m not a teacher or in anyway attached to any school, but anyone who has the desire to become a CCW holder means that they understand that they are at least going to try to protect themselves if not their charges. In the case of Ohio the first Buckeye Firearm Association (BFA) class held a pro bono CCW/School Defense class for school staff. The BFA and NRA also worked with the Ohio legislature to at least make the school GFZ zones a local issue. (As much as I prefer state level preemption, but another argument.)
One of the first classes found three teachers and a mid-level admin in the same class from the same school. They went back to the local school board to take out the the GFZ and had support from the local population.
So I am not saying that there are many people who should not CCW. But painting so many with a broad brush like this is not necessarily right. And many people who are right leaning in the education system just keep their mouths shut many times. When you’re the minority you try not to attract attention.
Jim P. My point of view is on the inside of a large school in the chicagoland. Illinois just past the CC but nobody can tell you when the classes start and how to apply for the CC permit. Perhaps I can’t find it, but the state is not making it easy to say the least.
Just recently the high school i work at practiced a Hard lockdown. This is an active shooter scenario.
1. We are told when the drill will take place and told to keep the kids in the locker room.
2. We never practice this drill during the lunch hours.
3. I have asked every year, what to do when the kids are not in the locker room, have yet to get a response. I am going on 9 years in the building. Some of the doors that I would use as a barrier do not have locks on them or are broken.
4. the administration are very liberal, and for the most part, anti-gun. There is no way they would permit CC on campus regardless of the laws, and I am fairly confident if given the choice of having teachers trained to carry would be vetoed as well.
I carry a flashlight with me after seeing B. Webb talk about how you can help yourself against an active shooter. I wish the answer was to let teachers carry, but as Mike stated, not everyone is going to respond even if they are carrying. But I think its more of an indictment of the Administrations. We are under prepared. We don’t have the proper training we don’t have good plans in place. They (the administration) has had plenty of opportunity to do this, they chose not to do anything but the minimum drill every so often.
Jim,
I understand what you are saying and yes I am painting CCW holders with a broad brush because you cannot deny most people who own firearms shoot them rarely. The fact is that if most police officers do not hit their target or trained military (ok maybe with a bunch of rounds). My point is stress shooting is something different completely from putting holes in paper. That if you are going to carry a handgun in my daughters school then I want you out there doing 3 gun competitions and getting realistic training with paintball or less than lethal ammo. Sitting around at your local gun shop talking about how you would have reacted is of little value in the real world (see mall ninja’s). You only learn to deal with the stress with training and being put in as close of an approximation to the actual event as you can.
Think about how people react when they are hit in anger? Most people start swinging wildly and miss the person who hit them and why, because they are not in that situation often or they do not train realistically.
I would much rather have a uniformed officer who has been on streets and who has had to confront someone who wants to hurt them than someone who attends a class but does not train regularly.
mike96256 The problem with that argument is do you want stop CCW holders from being in your daughter’s mall, grocery store, movie theater, convenience store, and any other place she is?
Gun free zones just make a target rich environment. They don’t stop the bad guys.
The way the Buckeye Firearms Association is doing their course includes a portion on how to deal with an active shooter event in a school, with an actual building. But realize that anyone around you, in public places, could be a CCW holder. And they can have done nothing but the basic CCW course and not fired since then. But I feel safer knowing that there maybe another CCW holder nearby.