No new restrictions on concealed weapons permits at universities

Concealed weapons won't face any new restrictions on university campuses in Utah, although students can now request not to live with permit holders.

A bill that passed in the waning hours of this year's legislative session ended up as a watered down version of an original bill that would have prohibited concealed weapons in certain faculty offices.

The bill, however, may not have passed at all unless higher education leaders gave up that provision, which would have required gun storage lockers outside of the offices of faculty who wanted their work space to be gun free.

The final bill allows students to request not to live with someone who has a concealed weapons permit, but permit holders are under no obligation to reveal that they have a concealed carry permit.

"The original bill was very, very problematic. This version is what we have all come to an agreement on," Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield, said. "It is now truly a consensus bill."

SB251 faced strong opposition throughout the session from gun-rights advocacy groups such as GunOwners of Utah, as well as from many students who felt banning concealed weapons on campus made the school more dangerous, not less.

"We would prefer the faculty offices, but we'll take what we can get," said Dave Buhler, associate commissioner of higher education.

The bill comes as a compromise between legislators and higher education leaders after the University of Utah's gun ban was struck down by the Utah Supreme Court in September. The court ruled the state's flagship university had no authority to make rules contrary to state law.

Although the U. does still have some outstanding federal court claims, University of Utah president Michael Young has agreed to drop that suit in return for SB251.

Young still intends to drop that litigation even with the watered-down measure, Buhler said.

"The dorms was our No. 1 priority because we think that's the biggest safety issue for our students," he said.

Several other gun bills also surfaced this session, although only a few made it through to law by the final night of this year's session.

HB354 did pass to clarify a law to allow someone to carry a gun into a bus terminal or station. Permit holders can already carry guns onto a bus.

Other bills such as SB201 to forbid the government from regulating gun ownership in a state of emergency and SB78 to prevent the owner of a parking lot from restricting people from concealing a gun in their car were still awaiting a final vote as of late Wednesday.

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com