Utah has allowed for permitless open and concealed carry of weapons since 2021.
But before the passage of HB 128, firearms had to be concealed when carried on college campuses.
It is one of 29 states that allows people to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
There’s a mentality that there should be as few obstacles as possible,” said Johnny Richardson, a Utah-based attorney and former editor at the Utah Law Review.
“The deterrence effect of concealed carry only applies to rational actors.
A recently passed state bill that permits individuals with concealed-carry permits to carry firearms on college campuses has come under renewed scrutiny as federal and state authorities analyze the details of the shooting death of far-right activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university.
Since 2021, open and concealed carry of firearms has been permitted in Utah without a permit. However, prior to the enactment of HB 128 firearms on college campuses had to be concealed. The law permitted open carrying by those who had the appropriate permit.
When the law was passed in August, university employees expressed concerns about the implications of carrying for situations in which students might need to respond with weapons in the classroom and their presence in labs that held powerful and dangerous chemicals.
Although it is unclear if Tyler Robinson, the suspected shooter, was legally permitted to possess the hunting rifle used in the shooting or to have one on a college campus, the shooting and the bill’s passage coincided, making the law widely public.
The bill was not an isolated incident; rather, it was an addition to Utah’s already second amendment-friendly legislative environment. The state does not have red-flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders (Erpo), which permit family members and law enforcement officials to ask a judge to temporarily take away a person’s firearms. It is one of 29 states where carrying a concealed weapon without a permit is legal. The law requires individuals to register for the federal background check system, but it aims to remove firearms from the hands of those in emergency situations.
The K–12 sector, where there is a higher expectation and necessity for campuses to be primarily closed to the public, has usually been the focus of Utah lawmakers’ efforts when they have addressed campus safety.
The state has leaned into legislation intended to make it more difficult for shooters to enter and move freely around schools, such as by installing doors with automatic locks, surveillance cameras, and fencing, in place of laws limiting gun access and educational requirements for potential applicants for concealed-carry permits. The goal of this strategy, called “school hardening,” is to prevent shooters from entering schools and to act swiftly to secure students and stop them.
For instance, K–12 educators are encouraged to receive training in order to carry a firearm in the classroom by HB 119, which was passed last year. A comprehensive law known as HB 84, which was passed in 2024, mandates that schools have at least one armed individual on campus every day, whether it be a security guard or a school resource officer, and that classrooms be equipped with panic devices.
According to proponents of Utah’s gun laws, having readily available firearms can deter potential home invaders, carjackers, and shooters who aim to target “soft targets” like shopping centers, universities, and supermarkets. It also enables armed responses in the event that someone starts shooting.
Here, we sort of adopt the stance that the second amendment is very expansive and that obtaining a permit to carry a concealed weapon is only one barrier to exercising that right. A Utah-based lawyer and former editor of the Utah Law Review, Johnny Richardson, stated that there is a mindset that there should be as few barriers as possible.
In essence, he added, “there is a belief that gun control laws will make it more difficult for law-abiding people to obtain firearms and unfairly disadvantage those who do not.”.
Brandon del Pozo, an assistant professor of medicine and health policy at Brown University, stated that although permitless carrying might be somewhat effective in discouraging crimes such as robberies, it is insufficient when it comes to grievance and politically motivated violence.
Only sane actors are affected by concealed carry’s deterrent effect. There comes a time in political extremism when you can no longer deal with reasonable people,” he added.
Prior to joining Brown, del Pozo worked for 19 years in the New York Police Department and for four years as the chief of police for Burlington, Vermont, where sales licenses and carry permits are not needed, just like in Utah. According to Del Pozo, he considered gun circulation when he was organizing safety for rallies and the yearly city marathon, which draws thousands of spectators. Through these experiences, he has discovered that states and cities with high public armed populations may overlook the prevalence of concealed firearms and neglect to plan for an additional degree of screening.
“You need to determine when you’re going to set aside areas where people are screened for firearms in areas like Utah where there will be a lot of guns in circulation,” he continued.
And securing something outside is difficult for small police departments. However, you must be screened if you plan to attend a particularly contentious political rally. “.”.
Six officers were assigned to the Charlie Kirk event, which attracted roughly 3,000 people, according to Utah Valley campus police chief Jeff Long, who spoke to reporters at a press conference after the shooting. According to him, Kirk’s personal security detail was coordinated with his department.
