Students, faculty call for weapons ban
Nine people representing all four University of Colorado campuses called for a concealed carry ban on Thursday as the university considers a proposal to prohibit people from concealing and carrying guns on all of its campuses.
“Many CU Boulder students, including myself, feel uneasy that guns can be brought into campus that hosts over 30,000 fulltime students,” CU Boulder student Brylan Graber said, adding, “Why allow students to live in blatant fear that our lives could be ended in a snap decision of who lives and who dies all because of inaction on the quickly outdated policy that is more likely to result in our classmates losing their lives than saving them?”
The University of Colorado Board of Regents, the elected board that oversees all CU campuses, recognized a notice of motion on Friday proposing a change to Regent policy to ban concealed carry weapons on all CU campuses. The notice of motion, initiated by Regent Wanda James, means there was no action or debate. The proposed policy change will be taken up by the Regents in the next University Affairs committee meeting on June 4 and then may appear in front of the entire Board at its next regular meetings on June 20 and 21.
Nine people spoke in support of a concealed carry ban during the public comment portion of the meeting on Thursday.
“It’s of critical importance for students and faculty to pursue their rigorous work of teaching and learning in spaces that are free from the threat of firearms,” said Tina Pittman Wagers, professor and clinical psychologist at CU Boulder.
Graber said he’s no stranger to the threat of gun violence. There was a lockdown at his elementary and middle school due to a threat of a potential shooter, and in high school, a classmate held a gun to him on school grounds after an argument.
“In a different situation, I may not be here today,” Graber said. “But at least in those situations, I could rest easy knowing that those were protected areas where permit holders are not allowed to carry a concealed handgun and that trained (school resources officers) were responsible for my protection. When I came to Boulder, I was under the assumption that CU operated under a similar policy.”
CU allows people over 21 and with a valid permit to conceal and carry guns on all its campuses, except in residence halls and special event zones like sporting events and concerts. Concealed carry was banned on the CU campuses for more than 40 years until 2012, when a related lawsuit was brought to the Colorado Supreme Court. The court ruled CU did not have the right to ban conceal and carry, and since then, it has been allowed on campus.
That Supreme Court decision was essentially reversed in 2021 when the Colorado legislature passed Senate Bill 21-256. The new law allows local governments and governing boards of higher education institutions in Colorado to choose how to regulate concealed carry. The board has not taken any action on concealed carry since the new law was passed.
“Despite being independently elected officials, most of you have no desire to speak as individuals about you views on this,” said Chase Cromwell, senior and student body president at CU Boulder. “One of you recently updated your campaign website to share that you opposed this change. At least that’s in writing somewhere. One of you is mad at me for talking to the media about guns on campus because your inaction as a board was a negotiated solution that I’m supposed to be happy with.”
There is no specific statewide legislation in Colorado that bans concealed carry on college campuses, but that could change soon. Senate Bill 24-131, currently under consideration at the state level, would ban concealed carry in “safe spaces” including higher education institutions. If state legislators approve the bill, it could require the Regents to ban concealed carry.
“You’re elected to lead our university system and you’re sitting back while our state Legislature takes a huge leap into your jobs,” Cromwell said. “You all deserve some scrutiny from your constituents for giving up your power because you’re afraid to talk about guns. Politics is only complicated when you make it complicated. It’s well past time to ban concealed carry on our campuses.”
On Friday, James thanked the people who spoke during public comment.
“I’ve been a regent now for about a year and a half and almost every meeting that we’ve had we’ve had people from the public or people from our universities ask us to take this motion,” James said. “I believe it is the job of the regents to hear the people of who’s house we govern and I am very interested that this board is going to take up this conversation and this debate.”
Regent Frank Mcnulty said he opposes a ban on concealed carry.
“We have heard voices who support it,” he said. “That’s not to say that there aren’t voices out there who are opposed to this action and who believe in our right to constitutionally carry, our right to the Second Amendment of the constitution, and those voices will be heard as well,” Mcnulty said. “So I look forward to having that conversation and look forward to what might be a robust debate on this matter when it comes forward.”
CU Denver professor and licensed mental health provider Scott Schaefle teaches a masters program that trains mental health professionals. He said a firearms ban would reduce the risk of murders and serious injury from guns and would provide peace of mind to the faculty, staff and students who have been affected by a mass shooting,
“There’s a common argument that this isn’t a gun problem, it’s a mental health problem, and it’s not true,” Schaefle said. “There’s no mental health diagnosis criteria that has carried out mass shootings as part of it. Although some shootings are carried out by folks with mental illness, the majority are carried out by people who’s mental health history is unremarkable, and the vast majority of those with mental health diagnosis are not violent or dangerous to society. To imply that those with mental illness pose a threat stigmatizes mental illness.”
Maya Essmeier, a student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, woke up on Feb. 16 to reports of gunshots in the dorm room next to hers. Two people were killed in the shooting at UCCS that day, leading to a lockdown and closing of the campus through the weekend.
“Now when I walk around campus I get worried whenever I walk alone. Since the shooting, every morning when I wake up I worry that there is going to be another message on my phone that there is an active shooter on campus,” Essmeier said, adding, “As college students, we already have enough on our plate and should not have to worry about things as excessive as an active shooter or the possibility of someone carrying a gun on campus.”
John Reilly, dean of the CU School of Medicine, called for a ban on the University of Colorado Anschutz medical campus.
“We have three hospitals that are campus partners on our campus with no physical barriers between us,” Reilly said. “All three of those hospitals have weapons bans or policies in place and we ask that we extend that to the rest of campus. We are unique in the fact that we not only have faculty, staff and students but we have roughly 3 million visitors a year to our campus, the overwhelming majority of who are patients coming to seek critical care … so I think there is a compelling logic for such a ban.”
Members of the public can find more information and submit comments on the proposed concealed carry policy, or policy 14.I: Weapons Control, by visiting cu.edu/regents/rlpre view.