UWyoming board hears testimony about concealed carry on campus grounds (2024)

Over a dozen people spoke up at a University of Wyoming Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday each commenting on potential changes to the school’s concealed carry policy.

The meeting was the first time the board publicly heard comments regarding potential changes to the university’s concealed carry policy — which does not currently allow for weapons on campus.

The university began the process to reconsider its concealed weapons policy after Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon in March vetoed a bill that would have eliminated most gun-free zones in the Cowboy State — including the University of Wyoming.

Gordon in a veto letter stated that the bill would give the Legislature sole authority to “micromanage a constitutionally protected right,” but that he was not opposed to the idea of repealing gun-free zones.

“With the authority already in place to address this issue at a local level, I call on school districts, community colleges, and the University to take up these difficult conversations again and establish policies that allow for the safe carry of concealed weapons within their facilities,” he said in his veto letter of the bill.

Gordon also directed the State Building Commission to look at allowing for concealed carry in the Capitol complex.

The survey

The University of Wyoming in August put out a survey to gather public input on proposed changes to school code to allow for concealed carry.

The survey laid out five options: no changes to school code, allow Wyoming constitutional concealed carry on campus except in sensitive areas, allow concealed carry on campus with a permit and not in sensitive areas, allow unlimited Wyoming constitutional concealed carry on campus; and allow unlimited concealed carry on campus only with a permit.

Sensitive areas include but are not limited to Athletic events; the Early Childhood Education Center; campus events or locations that serve alcohol; school zones; residential halls and campus housing; patient care facilities including student health or mental health offices; laboratories or locations with hazardous materials; board meetings; Campus Police Department; and private offices or other locations not open to the public, according to a list from the university.

The survey that closed on Sept. 6 gathered over 2,900 responses, of which over 1,100 were students.

The survey results showed that nearly two thirds of the respondents preferred to keep the University of Wyoming a gun-free school with faculty and staff overwhelmingly preferring to make no changes — 87.5% and 74%.

The second highest ranking option, allowing unlimited Wyoming constitutional concealed carry on campus, was preferred by only 16.7% of the survey respondents.

Public comment

The over a dozen people that testified at the Thursday meeting ranged from students, faculty to people not affiliated with the university.

“Thankfully so far I’ve only dealt with five bomb threats and two attempted shootings,” University of Wyoming Director of the School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice Stephen Dillon told the board. “And I wonder for people who aren’t teachers if when you go to work you wonder these things.”

A student at the meeting during her testimony added that more harm would come from allowing concealed carry than good: particularly in successful suicide rates.

“The probability that having guns on campus would actually stop a shooting or a crime is much less than the probability of an increasing successful suicide attempts,” Liz Pierson said.

Law student and U.S. Navy veteran Brandon Calloway testified asking for unlimited and permit-less concealed carry.

“In my deployment to the middle east I’ve seen how attackers often choose soft targets, places where people are unarmed and defenseless. Our current policy makes the University of Wyoming a soft target,” he said.

Multiple people that testified stated that allowing concealed carry for all would make the campus less safe.

“UW is a place I can safely bring my grandchildren. Knowing that untrained, unskilled people could be wandering around with deadly weapons puts that safety in jeopardy,” Alumnus Paul Howard told the board of Trustees. “Wyoming has always been known for pragmatic, common-sense solutions. I urge you to continue that heritage and not loosen your regulations.”