The Colorado Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in Denver on a lawsuit by a gun rights organization challenging the University of Colorado’s ban on guns on its three campuses.
Attorney Jim Manley, representing Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, argued that a 1994 CU policy banning concealed weapons from its campus violates state gun laws, particularly the Concealed Carry Act of 2003.
The act states that no local government can adopt an ordinance to limit state concealed-carry rights in its municipality. Manley argued at the hearing that the CU Board of Regents is equivalent to a local governing body subject to this ruling.
CU attorney Patrick O’Rourke argued that the law does not apply because CU is not defined in state law as a governing body and is allowed to regulate guns on its property.
“CU is a state institution of higher education, not a local government,” O’Rourke told the panel.
O’Rourke said the regents have a right to regulate the campus to create the best environment for learning. Manley said that creates a dubious distinction of where the campus authority ends.
