Wisconsin legislators have introduced a bill that would prohibit concealed carry on state university campuses, even for individuals holding valid licenses. The proposal would extend current gun‑free school zone restrictions to include institutions of higher education, removing an existing carve-out for concealed carry permit holders. Supporters argue it protects student safety, while critics warn it creates defenseless targets and undermines Second Amendment rights.
Under current Wisconsin law, concealed firearms are banned on campus except when carried under a license to carry a concealed weapon. The new bill would eliminate that exception, placing campuses entirely off‑limits to legally carried handguns by private citizens.
Sen. Kelda Roys, a cosponsor of the legislation, framed it as a commonsense safety measure: “Nobody should be living with the fear of gun violence,” she said, arguing college students deserve the same protections as K‑12 students in schools. But gun rights advocates and researchers disagree, pointing to data suggesting that mass public shootings disproportionately occur in gun‑free zones.
John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, called such zones magnets for violence, arguing that “mass public shooters explicitly target places where they know their victims are not able to protect themselves.” The Second Amendment Foundation also raised concerns, saying the most law‑abiding citizens should not be disarmed in public spaces.
If the bill passes, Wisconsin would join a small but growing number of states that restrict concealed carry even on public college campuses.
