Major Legal Win for Student for Concealed Carry on Campus

[paulsby]

(posted w/o comment)
http://volokh.com/2010/04/15/major-legal-win-for-students-for-concealed-carry-on-campus/#comments

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus v. Regents of the University of Colorado. Decided this morning by the Colorado Court of Appeals (a three-judge panel of Colorado’s intermediate appellate court). In brief: Colorado’s licensing statute for carrying a concealed handgun for lawful protection is explicitly preemptive. The University of Colorado bans concealed carry anyway, arguing that there is an implicit exception applicable to CU. The Mountain States Legal Foundation brings a suit on behalf of SCCC. The trial court dismisses for failure to state a claim. The Court of Appeals unanimously reverses the dismissal, and remands the case for further proceedings. The Court of Appeals holds that: 1. The statutory claim under the Concealed Carry Act should not have been dismissed, because there is no exemption for the University of Colorado. 2. The constitutional claim under the Colorado Constitution’s right to arms provision should not have been dismissed; the proper standard of review, under Colorado case law, is “reasonableness”, which is a higher standard than rational basis. The Court of Appeals expresses no opinion on the merits of the constitutional claim.

Congratulations to MSLF attorney Jim Manley!

[Captain Hilts]

1. Insanity. nt

[Llewlladdwr]

2. How so? NT

[paulsby]

3. well, clearly it's insane

to let COLLEGE STUDENTs exercise constitutional rights ON campus

that would be terrible.

they are just college students. let big brother decide what's best for them

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Llewlladdwr]

10. Actually, no they don't.

They do believe that they have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms though.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Is this ruling based on UC being public? Can a private business ban CC (or any C) in its premises

in Colorado?

[virginia mountainman]

21. Yes....it is because it is a publicly owned property.

Private property owners can ban guns...and the "no guns" on primary, and public high schools is a Federal law.

CSU, had ZERO AUTHORITY to do what they did...Now, those students that sued, and won...can now talk to CSU about damages. And CSU, better talk, and open their wallets...Now they have no defense for their illegal actions.

They where warned "not to poke the bear" they did it anyway...so now they get to deal with the claws.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

27. What damages? (Other than legal fees?)

[virginia mountainman]

29. that is generally how these cases turn out..

Once the "point of law" is decided against them, then it will be time to pay the piper so to speak.. Punitive damages, lawyer fees, and so forth.

Their are consequences to stepping on civil rights. Sad thing is, it will be the Colorado Taxpayers that will shell out the bucks, these are the same ones that passed laws trying to prevent CSU from doing what they did in the first place. So, for the willfully arrogance of a few, the many will pay up.

This has been Standard Operating Procedure in civil rights cases for generations.

This happened in Seattle, when Nickles tried to ban guns in parks, it happened in DC when Heller was decided, and it is well on it's way to happen in Chicago...

Not to mention the many small towns around the US, that mess with people LEGALLY carrying arms..

You get one arrogant cop, with a "not in MY town" attituded....and you can easily hit the taxpayer jackpot, on that cop's willfully ignorance of the law.

Like this case...

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/12/norfolk-pay-15000-harborfest-gun-arrest-case

[X_Digger]

22. A private business (or school) could ban concealed carry.

There are certain things the school would be prevented doing as a landlord, and certain things the school would be prevented from doing as a public accommodation.

Whether a landlord can ban possession of firearms on properties they rent is different in different states, and case law is thin.

A business can ban concealed carry on it's premises, though.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

13. Of the highest order.

Our Nation's gun worship is a mental illness.

[paulsby]

14. if abiding by the constitution vis a vis RKBA = gun worship, then prochoice = abortion worship

that's your unassailable logic

[friendly_iconoclast]

19. Some people are all for civil rights- "...except for THOSE people".

They seem not to understand that if one accepts selling others' rights out because they don't care for them, sooner or later someone else will attempt to do the same to them.

[proteus_lives]

35. Sadly, a lot of people consider those want to exercise their rights sick.

I've always wondered what with them.

So, what's wrong with you?

[jazzhound]

42. "Of the highest order"

Our nation's irrational fear and hatred of guns is a mental illness.

Fixed.

[Name removed]

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[Llewlladdwr]

6. Guns do not belong on campus?

Can you explain why?

[slackmaster]

8. Except, of course, in the hands of campus police and other LE officers

Right?

[paulsby]

12. have you read the colorado constitution?

or at least the relevant section on which this case is based?

of course not

guns don't belong on campus, therefore rule of law and constitutional rights are irrelevant

fascinating legal logic

[friendly_iconoclast]

18. The "blood in the carrels" crowd don't have much left but sputtering outrage.

The judge had a reply for people like them:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23161698/detail.html

...Judge Robert Hawthorne wrote that the state’s Concealed Carry Act, which gives permit holders the right to carry a concealed weapon, also applies to universities.

“The statute’s plain language applies to ‘all areas of the state’ and does not specify public universities in its list of exceptions,” Hawthorne wrote. “Had the legislature intended to exempt universities, it knew how to do so.”...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

20. Given that UC is public, the ruling seems to be defensible on the basis of the state's laws. But...

...what about private business? If I own a grocery shop in CO, can I refuse entry to people with guns?

[shedevil69taz]

23. I suppose you could

but I would ask you this: How would you enforce that on your own property against someone carrying concealed that wanted to ignore your posted signage? Granted they would be breaking the law against tresspassing, but that's kind of what criminals by definition do too, ignore laws.

Would you simply press charges if you happen to find out after the fact, assuming you ever actually found out any specific person had carried into your business?

Would you install expensive metal detectors at the entrance and have people empty thier pockets and what not and go through airport style security proceedures? I wouldn't think that would be very good for business.

If you do nothing more than post signage those of us who legally carry concealed and have half a brain will simply avoid your business, instead of risking any possibility of breaking a law that might get our license revoked. If you strictly enforce your policy on everyone using more agressive means you'll end up driving away even more customers that don't want to put up with the hassle of the metal detector process including CCWers.

[GreenStormCloud]

24. First, you have to know that they are indeed carrying a gun.

Concealed means that you don't see the gun.

Why are you afraid of LEGAL gun carry? Criminals are going to carry anyway. LEGAL permit holders are no threat to you.

[virginia mountainman]

25. All CCW states that I know of..

All private property owners have the ability to ban guns on their property, in their stores and whatnot..

But like the other poster said, the ONLY people a "no guns" sign will keep away, is the very ones you don't need to worry about.

I have actually walked up to a clothing store that was posted "no guns" and opened the door, and YELLED for my wife and kids to come on and leave..The manager asked why I did that and I told him, it was a CRIME for me to enter his store, and I was getting my family out of it.

He looked at me in a confused way, and I pointed at the "no guns" sign, and politely informed him that since I, could not "LEGALY" enter with my family, they could not be their without me.

He still had the deer in headlights look, as my wife apologized for leaving in such a rush, that they had not NOTICED the "no guns" sign.

We went to the very next store in the mall, and continued shopping...


Even that "no guns" sign, has very real negative consequences.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

28. Wow. You sure showed him, didn't you?

:eyes:

[virginia mountainman]

30. No..I did not show him nothing..

I complied with law....My wife had a .45 in her purse, she is a CCW holder as well.


All I did was, comply with the law.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

33. I think your oh so righteous rugged individualist manly man real American tale of righteousness...

...is what came to be called in these here forums (and some others) a "bouncy".

[PavePusher]

34. Condescending, much? n/t

[paulsby]

36. i didn't realize that students advocating for civil rights was a manly man real american tale of

righteousness.

and since the rkba disproportionately will benefit women, who on a statistical basis, are more likely to be attacked by a man than vice versa and who are on average physically weaker, calling it a manly man thing is silly and counterfactual

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

37. Ha. And people accuse ME of lacking reading comprehension.

That referred to the gentleman from VA's little shopping story, not the OP.

[Name removed]

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[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

39. You HAD to ruin a perfectly good admission of error, hadn't you?

Sigh.

[paulsby]

40. it's like a goofus and gallant thang

or compare and contrast.

whatever grade school analogy is grokkable for ya.

hth

:)

[paulsby]

47. fwiw, in WA state it would not be a crime

any private place can have a no guns sign

but being present there with a gun is not a crime

it only becomes a crime if they ask you to leave and you refuse.

then it becomes trespass

[tburnsten]

31. sure.

Though you'll have a hell of a time frisking all of your customers.

[PavePusher]

32. Yes, private property owners can set whatever rules they want. n/t

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. This thread seems out of place. Ooops -- now it doesn't. -nt

[Llewlladdwr]

11. That didn't take long. NT

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. Try posting a sex thread, it'll take even less. -nt

[Hoopla Phil]

17. Good for them. Hope they win the next round.

[virginia mountainman]

26. It was a UNANIMOUS decision...

With lots of Colorado law, and constitutional backing....

In other words, it is rock solid, and CSU better back down, while they can.

O, to the judge that said they had no case...He just got pwned....

[jazzhound]

41. Good news. Thanks for sharing it, paulsby N/T

[Captain Hilts]

43. 16 April is the anniversary of the killings at Virginia Tech. nt

[jazzhound]

44. Is there supposed to be a point here? n/t

[tburnsten]

45. If only a few of those students had the ability to carry concealed

It might have turned out to be no worse than the incident at the School of the Appalachians.

[slackmaster]

46. Every date on the calendar is the anniversary of something bad

And something good, and a lot of other things.