The University of Colorado Board of Regents sat through fiery testimony on April 11 from students, faculty and others fed up with lax gun laws on campus. Following a shooting on the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus in February, students and faculty alike shared their opinions on the school system’s existing gun laws. Many called for the board to ban concealed carry weapons on all CU campuses across the state.
“Many CU Boulder students, including myself, feel uneasy knowing that firearms can be brought to campus,” said CU Boulder student Brylan Graber at the April regents meeting.
On Feb. 16, Nicholas Jordan opened fire in a dormitory on campus at UCCS. When arrested, an AK-47-style assault rifle and a handgun were found in Jordan’s car. They were not registered under state law. Two students died due to significant injuries. Although the shooter did not have a license to carry, the Board of Regents and others are concerned about having any guns, even licensed ones, on CU campuses.
Since February, all eyes have been on the board to take charge and prevent gun violence. The Regents of the University of Colorado school system suggested banning concealed carry weapons even for those over 21 years old with a valid license. Banning concealed weapons will, in theory, prevent more gun-related tragedies from occurring.
“You claim to be saddened by the tragedy that occurred at UCCS. Instead of offering sympathy, we are asking you to take action,” said Hayley Crist, co-founder of the Students Demand Action Club at UCCS, at the meeting.
Earlier this year, Regent Wanda James proposed revisiting banning concealed weapons. James, who is a military veteran and supporter of the Second Amendment, believes that guns have no place in higher education. She was elected to the position in 2022 and has been concerned with the CU system’s current weapon laws ever since.
“For learning to occur, it is very difficult when students are in fear. A firearms ban would make people feel safer on campus,” said CU Boulder PhD candidate Scott Schafer to the board.
The school system allows concealed carry on campuses, making it an outlier among other higher education institutions across the country. CU had banned concealed carry for more than 40 years before a 2012 Colorado Supreme Court decision. The Court ruled the school system did not have the right to ban concealed carry. The current policy states that concealed weapons are authorized on CU campuses as long as the owners comply with the laws put in place by the Colorado General Assembly. However, in 2021, the legislative body passed SB21-256, granting local governments—including higher education boards—the power to enact regulations on the possession of firearms. Since the bill was passed, CU students and faculty have pushed for a ban on concealed weapons.
“This is so frustrating for so many of my peers and myself. The gun policy, which you are clearly allowed to change, you have not. Instead, you issue a statement saying that guns aren’t a prevalent issue,” said the CU Boulder Student Government President, Chase Cromwell.
The University of Colorado Boulder Student Government issued a formal statement declaring the regents are responsible for keeping all CU campuses safe by banning concealed weapons. The vote to pass this resolution was unanimous among the student government body.
“We are disappointed that the regents haven’t yet chosen to act on this,” said Alastair Norcross, chair of the faculty council, at the February Board of Regents general meeting.
The regents are expected to vote on whether or not to ban concealed weapons at the June general meeting. Still, faculty members like Norcross continue to speak on the issue in hopes of a ban getting approved.
“This is a view shared by most of my faculty colleagues [and] the students we serve, and the staff, that guns have no place on college campuses or any educational institutions,” Norcross said.
