BOULDER, Colo. — Several months after students attended a CU Board of Regents meeting's public comment session to bring back up a proposal to ban concealed carry on campuses, the board's university affairs committee discussed the policy Tuesday.
Ultimately, no action was taken, but the police chiefs of several CU campuses spoke to inform the committee of staffing and safety policies in place, among other things.
"The Board of Regents has the chance to make a change. Maybe some of you believe that this change isn't going to do anything, and that's OK. But I want to ask you, do you think that this change could save someone's life? Because I do," said Rachel Hill, one of several student body presidents on campus.
Right now, anyone who has a valid Colorado concealed carry permit is allowed to carry their weapon on CU campuses.
An FAQ on CU Boulder's website states there are two exceptions: residence halls, and any place deemed a "special event zone," like concerts or sporting events.
Regents also listened to public comment from several people on both sides of the issue.
"Frankly, I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to teach remotely a lot so that I don't have to deal with a possible gun in my classroom," said Shelly Miller, who said she's been a professor in the CU system since 1996. "We are very concerned about the possibility of concealed carry in our classrooms. We are calling on you to do something."
A commenter named Justice, who said they are a junior at CU Boulder and in the military, argued that a ban would not prevent gun violence.
"This is just going to disarm those that have proven that they're capable of carrying," Justice said.
"It restricts the individual liberties of our students throughout the school system from expressing their Second Amendment rights," another person said.
In 1974, CU established a policy banning all weapons from the four campuses.
A lawsuit challenged that ban, and in 2012, it went up to the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled that the board could not impose such a ban.
But a bill, SB 21-256, which was signed into law, allows local governments, special districts, and the governing board of an institution of higher education to enact regulations that prohibit concealed carry in a building or specific area.
When 9NEWS asked CUPD if they track the number of students who have a concealed carry permit, a spokesperson said via email that they did not have that information "as it is not a matter of public record and according to Colorado law, the personal information of permit holders is confidential."
Ken McConnellogue, the acting vice president for communication for the Board of Regents and CU system, said the issue is not on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled meeting of the full Board of Regents.
"The Board of Regents continues to gather and digest information about CU’s weapons policy from members of the university community, as it did at Tuesday’s University Affairs Committee," he wrote in a statement. "The board appreciates the perspectives, opinions and engagement from a wide spectrum of students, faculty, staff and others."
In February, he explained that the only vote that would be taken would be to refer the issue back to the full board after the committee was comfortable that it could make an informed recommendation, since changing the weapons policy, like any policy change, requires a vote of the full board.
"The three new members of the Board of Regents who began their terms in January (all of whom attended today’s meeting) are broadening their understanding of the issue and will continue to, while veteran board members also benefit from the discussions," McConnellogue wrote in the statement.
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