Wyoming Moms Demand Action, Everytown Applaud Senate Committee for Rejecting Dangerous Legislation That Would Have Forced Guns into Schools and Universities

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Wyoming chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded the Senate Judiciary Committee for voting down SF 75, legislation that would have allowed someone to carry a hidden, loaded firearm into a variety of sensitive public places — including elementary, middle and high schools, college campuses, and sporting events.

“We all want to ensure that our schools and universities are safe places to send our children, but we know that forcing guns into our institutions of learning is not the answer,” said Beth Howard, volunteer chapter leader with the Wyoming chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Today, I testified against dangerous legislation that would force guns into our schools alongside more than a dozen of my fellow Wyomingites. The message we sent was clear: There are some places where we know guns do not belong. I am heartened that the Senate Judiciary Committee recognized this, and I urge the House to reject any similar, dangerous legislation.”

Under current Wyoming law, concealed carry permit holders are prohibited from carrying concealed firearms in K-12 schools as well as in college or university facilities unless they are otherwise authorized to do so. SF 75 would have changed the existing policy around guns in schools by forcing both K-12 schools and higher education campuses to allow permit holders to carry hidden, loaded handguns on their premises. Only a handful of states allow permit holders to carry in K-12 schools or on campus, and very few states force schools to allow concealed carry.

Additionally, the bill would have expanded Wyoming’s preemption law to apply to any state agency, including public colleges. This would have forced colleges and universities to allow permit holders to carry hidden, loaded handguns on their premises by restricting their authority to implement any policy relating to prohibiting guns on campus. This bill would have also allowed people to carry a concealed firearm without a permit in certain areas, including some public meetings and functions at the University of Wyoming. Just one other state allows permitless carry on campuses, and by authorizing permitless carry in meetings of the University of Wyoming, this bill would have made Wyoming only the second state ever to go this far.