A Guide to Campus Carry
So far, there are 10 states that allow their students to open carry on college and university campuses. But that doesn’t necessarily mean there are no limitations to who can carry and when or where.
The topic of campus carry has been a hot topic lately, especially for those who live in the states where concealed guns on campus are allowed by law. To date, Colorado, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas and Utah are the states that concealed guns on campus is completely allowed by law. That means, everyone who has a permit to carry can have their firearm with them while on campus.
Another 5 states (Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon and Wisconsin), allows gun by law but with restrictions such as only certain locations on campus may allow firearms, and there may be certain restrictions on who, exactly, can carry. However, some states (such as Arkansas, for example) have chosen to “opt out”, meaning that some colleges and universities can choose not to allow any concealed weapons on campus.
There are 20 states where schools can decide on their own weapons policy, but the campus carry is not allowed by law there. Those states are: Washington, Nevada, Arizona, South Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Alaska, Hawaii, and Delaware. So far, though, most of these states have no colleges or universities where concealed weapons are allowed on campus.
Another 10 states allow concealed guns only in parking lots and locked cars. Those states are: North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Each state is also allowed to amend policies to their concealed weapon restrictions.
Concealed guns on campus are strictly prohibited by law in the remaining states, which are California, Wyoming, New Mexico, Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Most of these states also require that colleges and universities post notices that state it is unlawful to carry a firearm on campus.
For complete information on Campus Carry and guidelines for each state, please visit armedcampus.org