Concealed weapons are allowed on University of Colorado campuses, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday, rejecting a CU appeal.
“We are disappointed the Colorado Supreme Court determined that the Board of Regents does not, in this instance, have the constitutional and statutory authority to determine what policies will best promote the health and welfare of the university’s students, faculty, staff, and visitors, whose safety is our top priority,” said CU President Bruce D. Benson. “The Board of Regents is in the best position to determine how we meet that imperative. We will abide by the ruling and determine how it affects our campuses.”
In its decision released Monday, the court summarized that “The Concealed Carry Act’s comprehensive statewide purpose, broad language, and narrow exclusions show that the General Assembly intended to divest the Board of Regents of its authority to regulate concealed handgun possession on campus.”
The decision had been pending since June 2011, when CU argued that the Board of Regents should retain the authority to govern CU campuses, including setting campus policies on weapons, despite a state law that allows authorized citizens to carry concealed firearms. An attorney representing Students for Concealed Carry countered that the state law allowing concealed carry statewide clearly applied to CU campuses.
The university won a 2009 ruling when the case was first brought in El Paso County Court. That decision was overturned by the Colorado Court of Appeals in April 2010. The Board of Regents voted 5-4 to appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court.
CU’s policy, in place since 1970, prohibits weapons, including guns, on the university’s four campuses. Campus law enforcement groups, including the police chiefs on all CU campuses, oppose concealed carry on campuses.
— CU System University Relations. This article originally appeared in the CU Connections newsletter
As a follow up to what somebody on campus told me 2 days ago, I thought I would check, and sure enough; here is the article and my belated comments.
The University is disappointed? Perhaps some affiliated with the university are but don’t think for a second that they speak for the entire university because I, for one, am not pisappointed. Perhaps statistics would show that allowing concealed carry would best promote the health and welfare of the university’s students, faculty, staff, and visitors and not a policy that would deny such a right. When I lived in DC, I was robbed a block from home by somebody with a gun. DC’s laws forbade me to carry so everyone illegally carrying a gun in DC felt pretty confident that any honest person they wanted to rob, would not be carrying. Here in Colorado, I carry just a few times a year to remind myself that I can and to remain comfortable in doing so. I’m sure that I even practice more often than I carry. Being a full time student of course changed that for I was stripped, yes stripped, of my right to do so by people who were supposedly looking out for my safety (yeah right). Heaven forbid anything were to ever happen on campus but if it did, would the board be there to stop a would-be assailant and if so, how? By telling them “Hey, You can’t bring that firearm on campus, it’s against our policy!”
I’m sorry that the board was not, in fact, looking out for my/our safety but rather PROBABLY implementing a gun control philosophy, which they have always harbored. I don’t always agree with the courts, I doubt that anybody does, but this time I am glad of the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling. Is the first option the use of the Campus Police? Of course. But if time didn’t permit, would I simply just accept my fate? I think not.
As for the police chiefs on all CU campuses opposing concealed on campus. They, like everybody else, are entitled to their opinions but as equally obvious, they are not opting that they shouldn’t carry, just that everybody else shouldn’t.
Andrew
I agree with Andrew. The people that ‘rule’ over the students AND teachers here at UCCS are most set on their personal political end-games, and have little concern with the students and faculty. If they really cared, tuition wouldn’t cost an insane amount, parking wouldn’t cost and arm and a leg, and they wouldn’t keep erecting new buildings right on top of the parking lots that are become an endangered species.
Nearly all of the university/college shootings that have happened in the past could have been prevented if students were allowed to carry on campus. As the adage says “When guns become outlaws, only outlaws will have guns.” Stripping students of a Constitutional right sets them up to be VICTIMS. Allowing students to conceal carry, or even OPEN CARRY – as is a STATE LAW ALLOWING SUCH – would empower students and teachers. If UCCS was a university that wasn’t so insanely liberally and allowed us to carry firearms as the STATE LAW ALLOWS, the school would do better. No one would EVER want to show up to any campuses and try and shoot someone. They would know that there are other people that could shoot back. They would attract more students too.
The answer is firearms SAFETY AND TRAINING. Not trying to prohibit firearms. Stop trying to make an issue simply disappear because you think keeping LAW ABIDING CITIZENS from carrying firearms LEGALLY will keep us safe. You are setting us up to be VICTIMS.