Students for Concealed Carry


Students for Concealed Carry, formerly Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is an advocacy group in the United States that promotes "campus carry"—a policy of allowing holders of concealed carry permits to carry concealed handguns on college campuses.

Background

As of 2019, 16 states ban the carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus; 23 states allow individual colleges and universities to make decisions on whether to prohibit or permit the carrying of a concealed weapon on their campuses; 10 states permit the carrying of concealed weapons on public post-secondary college campuses; and one state has a specific state law requiring all public colleges and universities to allow the carrying of concealed weapons on their property.

History and activities

The group was formed in 2007, the day after the Virginia Tech massacre. The group has promoted efforts to overturn campus gun bans in several states.
It has held "empty holster protests" in which students supporting the group carry empty holsters to protest bans on the carrying of concealed firearms on college campuses. The group has also held annual national conference in Washington, D.C., television on C-SPAN.
In 2008, SCC sued the University of Colorado System and its officials over the university system's ban on "the possession of firearms or other dangerous or illegal weapons on or within" University of Colorado property. In 2012, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in favor of SCC, holding that the Colorado Concealed Carry Act prohibited the Board of Regents from regulating the possession of concealed handguns on campus.

Support and opposition

The group's efforts to expand campus carry are supported by other gun-rights groups, and are opposed by gun-control groups such as Students for Gun-Free Schools, and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, as well as some students, faculty, staff, and administrators.