CHEYENNE – The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday gave the nod to a pair of bills, which would allow concealed weapons to be carried on college campuses and into government meetings across the state.
Both bills cleared the Wyoming House of Representatives before moving on to the Senate.
House Bill 136 allows individuals with concealed carry permits to go armed on college campuses, doing away with so-called “gun-free zones.” The companion bill, HB 137, would allow anyone – concealed carry permit holder or not – to enter any government meeting armed, including sessions of the Wyoming Legislature.
Supporters say it’s a matter of personal safety and that individuals should be allowed to go prepared to defend themselves. Opponents, including the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees, are against the measure, seeing it takes local control from the hands of the people elected to govern individual community colleges in the state.
If passed, the measure could have significant impact on the Eastern Wyoming College campus in Torrington, said college President Dr. Rick Patterson.
“I have a little bit different perspective,” said Patterson, a former Marine who worked for most of a decade in law enforcement before going in to academia. “I’ve never been in a police department that didn’t have a hole in the wall or ceiling and a story to go with it.
“And these are trained professionals,” he said. “But accidents happen when people are messing around with guns.”
Patterson echoed the sentiments of the WACCT. A blanket provision allowing guns anywhere on campus would wrest local control from the EWC Board of Trustees. He would like to see an amendment attached to the bill, which would keep the final decision on the appropriate place for firearms with the local trustees.

“These people are elected to serve an important role in our community and our college,” Patterson said. “I would hope someone has the wisdom to amend it.
“Many of the states that have campus carry laws have restrictions,” he said. “If this thing goes through, it makes more sense for the local board to retain control for
those decisions.”
Many colleges in states with campus carry laws on the books ban guns from sporting events and in on-campus, college-run residence halls.
To obtain a concealed carry license in the state, an applicant must be 21 years of age. Supporters of the bill have said that age limit would exclude the majority of students from being able to obtain a permit.
But, a recent study showed 50 percent or more of the students on community college campuses in Wyoming meet that legal age requirement. Those students would be eligible to carry a concealed weapon, Patterson said.
He also questioned claims that having concealed weapons on campus would bolster security. Law enforcement officers go through rigorous firearms training on a regular basis and must be certified. But, in his experience as a law enforcement officer, many still struggle.
“It scares me to have some well-intention but untrained individuals taking enforcement action” with a firearm, Patterson said. “I’m a former Marine, I was in law enforcement – I wouldn’t feel comfortable having to suddenly take enforcement action.
“Those are skills that need to be practiced,” he said. “None of that is part of the concealed carry laws of Wyoming.”
Another concern Patterson and his colleagues around the state have is what concealed carry would do to insurance rates. That’s a question for which, for the time being, there is not answer.
“I don’t know what it would do to ours,” he said. “I know some colleges looked into it and general liability policies
would increase.
“Other states have done it – there’s just a lot of additional concerns,” Patterson said. “We have a child care center on campus. How would it affect them? There are just a lot of unknowns
right now.”