Concealed "Campus-Carry" Laws on Public College Campuses: An Analysis of Legal and Social Science Evidence

• In Event: 25.062 - Contemporary Cultural and Educational Concerns With Relevant Legal Analysis

Abstract

Currently, two states, Utah and Colorado expressly mandate that public colleges and universities must allow all licensed, concealed carry holders the right to possess firearms at all location on public campuses. In response, a growing number of state legislatures are considering “campus-carry,” or concealed carry laws for their state's public higher education institutions. In 2017, a total of 16 states introduced pending legislation permitting the concealed carry of firearms on their state's public college or university campuses. In 2017, two states, Arkansas and Georgia, passed legislation allowing students and faculty to carry concealed guns on campus. Ongoing debates, especially among state
legislative lawmakers continue to challenge the legal boundaries of the Second Amendment's application to publicly supported college and university campuses.

Author

• Kevin P. Brady, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville