An Updated List of States That Allow Campus Carry
Some states allow concealed carry gun policies on college campuses, others prohibit it, and the rest leave the decision up to each school. Where does your state fall?
Photo: MaxFX, Adobe Stock
UPDATE: This article, originally posted in Aug. 2017, has been updated to reflect policy changes made in some states. Most of the data below has been pulled from research conducted by BestColleges.com, which was last updated in July 2022. ALWAYS check with your state legislature for the most up-to-date laws and policies.
With things changing so quickly these days, you’d be forgiven for wondering: Which states allow concealed gun policies on college campuses?
To make things easy for you, Campus Safety has compiled a running list of states that allow concealed handguns on campus for the public to reference. We’ll keep this as up-to-date as possible (to the best of our ability) as things change. In fact, although West Virginia law currently allows public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on their campuses, in February, Governor Jim Justice said he plans to sign into law a concealed campus carry bill passed by the House in an 84-14 vote. Therefore, additional updates will likely be made in the near future.
Unfortunately, things aren’t quite black and white, so we’re also listing states that allow colleges to make their own concealed carry policies as well as states that expressly ban concealed carry on college campuses. Here’s the breakdown.
States That Allow Campus Carry
(Editor’s Note: There are many differences in each state’s law that make concealed carry policies different. Kansas, for instance, allows public colleges to ban guns in campus buildings if signs are posted at every entrance explicitly stating weapons are prohibited, and Wisconsin allows colleges to prohibit guns from campus buildings as well. Additional policies are noted alongside the applicable state.)
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Mississippi; legislation passed in 2011 created an exception to allow concealed carry on college campuses for those who have taken a voluntary course on safe handling and use of firearms by a certified instructor
- Oregon; in 2012, the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission voted unanimously to ban weapons in campus buildings at all seven state colleges and universities, except for active-duty military personnel and law enforcement, or some schools with written permission
- Tennessee; Tennessee allows faculty members with licenses to carry weapons on campus but the law does not extend to students or the general public
- Texas
- Utah; Utah is the only state to have a statute specifically naming public colleges and universities as public entities that do not have the authority to ban concealed carry
- Wisconsin
States That Leave Campus Carry Decisions Up to Each College/University
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
States That Prohibit Campus Carry
- California
- Florida
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Wyoming
It should be noted that while most states prohibit campus carry or leave it up to individual schools, some states allow guns to be locked in cars on campus, including Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. The map below, created by ArmedCampuses.org, reflects this data. Be sure to check out this map on their website as it is interactive.
Source: ArmedCampuses.org
Whether or not you live or work in a state that allows campus carry, recent history has shown many states are becoming more flexible in their permitting laws overall. Therefore, it is important to educate yourself and stay up-to-date on concealed carry laws and statistics since it continues to affect so many campuses and schools.
Here’s another article on a state-by-state breakdown of concealed carry laws and permits issued.
What If Campus Carry Comes to Your State?
If your campus is looking to create a concealed carry policy or may need to in the future, check out our Roadmap for Colleges Creating Concealed Carry Policies on Campus.
Additionally, here’s some advice on best practices from retired Lieutenant John Weinstein of the Northern Virginia Community College Police Department.
We hope these lists of states that allow guns on campus are helpful, and we encourage our readers to let us know if any of these lists need to be amended. We feel strongly that information on individual states’ concealed carry policies, also known as campus carry policies, should be easily available to the public so people can stay informed.
Again, always check with your state legislature for the most up-to-date campus concealed carry policies.
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About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
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Tennessee is not on your list.
Thanks for catching that Tim! It’s been added to the first list.
Minnesota allows colleges and universities to forbid carry by students, faculty and staff.
Private colleges and universities can also ban carry by the general public. Public colleges and universities cannot.
Thanks for catching that Jeff! The article has been updated.
Thank you for this awesome article!!
[…] pour les étudiants et le personnel). Ce n’est pas le cas de l’Ohio, mais de nombreux États américains autorisent le port d’armes dans les […]
Hi Zach,
The University of Wisconsin System does NOT allow concealed carry on campuses. Please adjust your page to reflect the correct information. I MOVED last year from TEXAS because of the change in policy in the Texas public universities that allows concealed carry. Here is the language of the UW policy: The Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS 18.10(3) prohibits a person from carrying, possessing, or using any dangerous weapon on university lands or in university buildings or facilities, unless it is for law enforcement purposes or the person receives written approval of the chief administrative officer. Chapter 18 permits police to confiscate and remove dangerous weapons from university lands. To the extent Chapter 18 is consistent with Wisconsin Act 35, the University of Wisconsin System will continue to follow and enforce Chapter 18.
Washington and California are both red on the map while being on different lists.
There’s some grey area in Michigan because concealed carry is banned in college dorms and classrooms, but perfectly legal on the rest of the campus (like the diag/quad). But even this has a few exceptions; U of M, MSU, and Wayne State form their boards through state elections and are allowed to create their own local campus laws. U of M, for example, bans firearms on all property they own.
All of this can be waived if you get a written exemption from the college, usually from the head of Campus Security.
Let’s stop it with all the nonsense rhetoric about “gun control is disarming the proletariat”
First of all, most Americans do not own guns – gun ownership has been on the decline in this country for the last 50 years – from 50% of Americans owning guns in the 1960s to barely 25% today.
In the modern US, gun owners fall into four broad categories
– people who own a gun for work (police officers, security guards, armored truck drivers, jewelry store owners etc)
– people who participate in gun sports (hunters, target shooters – this category has been shrinking for decades – hunting is a dying sport in America, and target shooting is in sharp decline – FWIW I myself am a former target shooter)
– criminals
– racist reactionaries hoarding guns for the future race war
You really can’t speak of an “armed proletariat” here
We sure as hell don’t have any kind of labor militias or workers defense guards
You can speak of gun companies marketing guns to White men as a way of boosting your masculinity and resisting “feminism” and “the homosexual lobby” ..and, of course, “protecting yourself’ (from Blacks….that’s the dog whistle part of the marketing pitch.
In the event of a revolution in this country, the last two cohorts of gun owners – career criminals and racist suburban White gun nuts – would be the nucleus of the counterrevolution
For that reason, the American left would be wise to support gun control
There’s also the small matter of the wildly popular mass movement for gun control that’s captured the imagination of the youth of this country….
Dear GLUS, interesting list, but you left off a huge fifth category: people of any race or sexual orientation who simply want a gun or guns with which to protect themselves and their families.
It isn’t difficult to find out about that group: they are the several million law-abiding Americans of all races who have troubled to get concealed carry permits. They are also the people who may carry in states which don’t require a permit.
As for the issue of America being particularly violent, according to the UN, the US is actually a spot or two below the world median in gun homicide rate. Despite the remarkable number of guns in America, we are solidly in the middle. If you’d like to verify that, just Google something like ‘UN gun homicide rate by country’ and you should have no trouble finding it. Wikipedia has an article which includes a table which may be easier to order by rate than the UN site.
I hope you really don’t think that the only people other than your first three groups are drooling, knuckle dragging white racists, because that is way too facile as well as wildly inaccurate. Even as the number of guns has exploded, the homicide rate has collapsed. We are near a fifty year low, which also puts us near the century low.
Even if there is no particular connection between a lot more guns and a lot less violent crime, it is clear that more guns in responsible hands do not cause more crime.
As for white men boosting their masculinity: I guess that’s why 2 inch snubbies are popular. And gays: gays and lesbians are among the people who benefit from the ability to choose self defense. One of the original plaintiffs in the DC v Heller case was a gay man I worked with years earlier. He once used a concealed handgun to prevent a vicious attack upon a friend and himself by some gay bashers. If he had been unarmed, I might never have met him. He was a good co-worker and a fine man. I hope you wouldn’t deny him the ability to defend himself. Would you?
Your map shows Ohio as red when according to your list it should be yellow along with Kentucky and Indiana. Thanks so much for making this list. It’s very useful information.
Thank you for giving us this list of states that allow concealed carriers on campus. My husband is wanting to get his concealed carrier. I’ll have to look into finding the best place to get this.
Mississippi Law does permit a person with an Instructor Certified permit to carry on a university campus. However, Mississippi IHL Policy 1106 specifically says that students and employees, regardless of permit, are not allowed to carry concealed weapons. Oddly enough, this means that the only ones permitted to carry at a Mississippi university would be a visitor.
The overwhelming majority of the 4,400 colleges and universities in the United States prohibit the carrying of firearms on their campuses
I am very grateful for this article. My daughter considers a state/college position on allowing students who can legally carry, a very important factor in her choice of colleges. Basically, if a college does not allow students who can legally carry to defend themselves, she drops those institutions to the bottom of the list.
The second amendment of the Constitution is for all Americans. The right to defend oneself is an inalienable right that is protected by the second amendment. THAT is the law.
Thankfully the nation still recognizes states’ rights. Some states respect the constitution and individual rights more than others. Colleges and universities that deny students’ constitutional and inalienable rights are not serving their students or their communities.
I found this information to be helpful in preparing a response to an uninformed parent who is all excited about Teachers being armed. When qualified I personally think it is a must in all states.
Oregon does not allow guns in public universities since 2012.
Sweet if I move to the USA for post-secondary i know which states won’t deny me the second amendment rights I fled a Nazi and commie loving Fascist hat to enjoy!
Thanks for Creating this valuable tool so people also can know If they state Campus carry laws need to be Dragged out of the DNC’s Jim Crowe south..
Blake, the Oregon law against guns in public schools and universities does not apply to concealed carry licensees. Paragraph 3 (g) of ORS 166.370 states that subsection 1 (which prohibits firearms in public places including schools) does not apply to “A person who is licensed under ORS 166.291 (Issuance of concealed handgun license) and 166.292 (Procedure for issuing) to carry a concealed handgun”. Now most schools have administrative policies so teachers, students, and visitors can face disciplinary measures from the school for possessing a firearm, but there is no legal recourse against carrying a firearm. However, it is against the law to discharge a firearm on school property, even with a conceal carry license, so if a person does have to actually use their firearm then they could face legal trouble.
Hawaii does not allow concealed carry or open carry except for law enforcement. Hawaii law says that concealed carry is allowed by permit which is issued by the Chief of Police but there is no civilian that has been issued this permit. Guns can only be transported in a vehicle, in the trunk with the ammo in a separate box. Hunting is the only time a civilian is allowed to carry a loaded gun anywhere other than at a firing range or in their own house. We are known to have the toughest gun laws in the nation along with some of the highest costs of living…the true cost of poor political governing.
US Government should ban carrying of weapons in Univerisities and Colleges.
Perhaps these States that allow campus concealed guns should reflect on their college ratings. I would be hesitant to send a student to a college that allows firearms on campus.
[…] April 2023, citizens, including teachers, may carry concealed weapons on school grounds in as many as 26 states, subject to various […]
[…] April 2023, citizens, including teachers, may carry concealed weapons on school grounds in as many as 26 states, subject to various […]