Students for Concealed Carry, formerly Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, is an
advocacy group
Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...
in the United States that promotes "
campus carry
In the United States, campus carry refers to the possession of firearms on college or university campuses. Each state has its own discretion on laws concerning campus carry.
As of 2019, 16 states ban the carrying of a concealed weapon on a coll ...
"—a policy of allowing holders of
concealed carry permits to
carry concealed handguns on
college campuses.
Background
As of 2019, 16 states ban the carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus; 23 states allow individual colleges and universities to make decisions on whether to prohibit or permit the carrying of a concealed weapon on their campuses; 10 states (either because of state legislation of judicial decision) permit the carrying of concealed weapons on public post-secondary college campuses; and one state (
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
) has a specific state law requiring all public colleges and universities to allow the carrying of concealed weapons on their property.
History and activities
The group was formed in 2007, the day after the
Virginia Tech massacre. The group has promoted efforts to overturn campus gun bans in several states.
[Richard Pérez-Peña & Susan Saulny]
Colleges Become Major Front in Fight Over Carrying Guns
''New York Times'' (February 16, 2013).
It has held "empty holster protests" in which students supporting the group carry empty holsters to protest bans on the carrying of concealed firearms on college campuses.
The group has also held annual national conference in Washington, D.C., television on
C-SPAN
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...
.
In 2008, SCC (represented by
Mountain States Legal Foundation
Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) is an American conservative free market public interest law firm based in Lakewood, Colorado. Its lawyers argue cases on property rights and federal land management in the American West, as well as gun right ...
) sued the
University of Colorado System and its officials over the
university system
A university system is a set of multiple affiliated universities and colleges that are usually geographically distributed. Typically, all member universities in a university system share a common component among all of their various names. Usually, ...
's ban on "the possession of firearms or other dangerous or illegal weapons on or within" University of Colorado property. In 2012, the
Colorado Supreme Court ruled in favor of SCC, holding that the Colorado Concealed Carry Act prohibited the Board of Regents from regulating the possession of concealed handguns on campus.
Support and opposition
The group's efforts to expand campus carry are supported by other gun-rights groups,
and are opposed by gun-control groups such as Students for Gun-Free Schools,
and the
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Brady: United Against Gun Violence (formerly “Handgun Control, Inc”., the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and against ...
,
as well as some students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
[Adam Nagourney & Julie Turkewitz]
As Campus Fears Rise, So Do Efforts to Enact School Gun Laws
''New York Times'' (October 20, 2015).
See also
*
Gun politics in the United States
Gun politics within American politics is defined by two primary opposing ideologies about civilian gun ownership. Those who advocate for gun control support increased regulation of gun ownership; those who advocate for gun rights oppose incre ...
References
External links
Students for Concealed Carry website{{USgunorgs
United States firearms law
Gun rights advocacy groups in the United States
Student political organizations in the United States
Internet-based activism