Can I carry a gun on campus?

On Behalf of | Jun 13, 2019 | Campus Crimes

There is no doubt a social concern in this country after safety on school campuses. Whether it is high schools or colleges, there is a history of shootings at these locations that have parents, students and the public concerned. Due to this, many areas have bans on guns in such locations. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, gun bans on campuses are something handled at the state level. In Pennsylvania, the state allows each institution to make its own rules about gun rights on its campus.

There are only 16 states that have a complete ban on guns on campus, including Illinois, Missouri, Bew Jersey and New York. Other states have varying degrees of legislation. Pennsylvania is one of the 23 states that leave that decision to the school, which means students will only know their rights by contacting their school directly.

Penn Live says specific schools may take different approaches to gun policies. Lincoln University, for example, bans guns completely on campus and criminally prosecute those who do carry on campus. The University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University and Temple University all follow this same rule. Most of the major universities do have bans.

Some schools do allow exemptions. Typically, they are for law enforcement and military personnel. In some cases, they include exemptions for situations involving the study of weapons. However, this type of exemption often requires written approval.

Smaller schools may not have complete bans. Some schools may allow carrying a gun on campus but not in any buildings. This is a common exemption. However, it is the student’s responsibility to know campus policy. This information is for education and is not legal advice.

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