December 4, 2009

CROTON FALLS, NY – Colorado State University’s Board of Governors voted unanimously today to ban all firearms – concealed or not – on its campuses at Ft Collins and Pueblo. Colorado State was the only college in the state to allow concealed weapons on campus until today’s landmark decision.

Andy Pelosi, the Director of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus said: “We applaud the decision by Colorado State University to ban firearms on campus. Today’s decision puts Colorado State in line with other colleges in Colorado and nearly every major college nationwide. “College campuses are among the safest environments for students – much safer than the communities that surround them. This is due in no small part to the fact that nearly all colleges and universities have adopted policies that severely restrict or prohibit firearms. We want to keep it that way.”

Said John Johnson, outreach coordinator for the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, “It takes courage to stand up to the gun lobby. But Americans support courage.”

The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus is urging colleges and universities across the country to band together to oppose the gun lobby’s agenda to push guns onto college campuses. Since the Campaign was launched just one year ago, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and more than 90 colleges and universities in 24 states have signed onto a resolution opposing legislation that would take away an educational institution’s right to prohibit or adopt policies to regulate possession of firearms on campus.

The Colorado State decision comes at a time when America’s colleges and universities are under attack from the gun lobby. Utah is the only state that prohibits its public colleges and universities from banning guns on campuses. Over the last two years, guns on campus bills similar to the Utah law have been introduced in at least 18 states.