This morning, the Colorado Supreme Court announced that it was granting a Petition for Certiorari in Regents of the Univ. of Colo. v. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, Case No. 10SC344. In Students for Concealed Carry, the Court will consider whether Colorado's Concealed Carry Act, C.R.S. secs. 18-12-201 to -216 applies to public universities, and the standard of review for laws regulating the right to bear arms.
This case challenges the Weapons Contol Policy enacted by the Regents which prohibits the possession of firearms on any University of Colorado campus. Students for Concealed Carry brought an action in state district court challenging the policy. The District Court dismissed the action.
The Court of Appeals reversed, holding that the Concealed Carry Act's "plain language applies to 'all areas of the state' and does not specify public universities in the list of exceptions." Students for Concealed Carry on Campus v. Regents of the Univ. of Colo., Case No. 09CA1230, Slip Op. at 9. In addition, the Court of Appeals also held that the weapons policy violated article II, section 13 of the Colorado Constitution. In a lengthy discussion, the Court held that the proper standard for assessing a law which regulates the right to bear arms is the "reasonable exercise" standard.
