Timeline of campus carry changes from Utah in 2004 through Texas, Georgia, Montana, West Virginia, Colorado and Wyoming in 2025.

Campus Carry

Educational information, not legal advice. Gun laws change often and vary by state, county and city. Check current law where you are and talk to a firearms attorney before acting. Full disclaimer

Last reviewed October 31, 2026

Campus Carry: Where It Stands in 2026

Campus carry means allowing licensed adults to carry a handgun for self-defense on public college and university property. Advocates argue that a carry permit holder does not become dangerous by stepping onto a campus, and that adult students, faculty and staff have the same right to protect themselves as any other citizen. Declaring a campus “gun free” disarms only those who follow the law.

Timeline of campus carry changes from Utah in 2004 through Texas, Georgia, Montana, West Virginia, Colorado and Wyoming in 2025.

As of 2026, roughly a dozen states require public colleges to allow some form of concealed carry, including Utah (the first, beginning in 2004), Texas, Kansas, Georgia, Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, West Virginia and Wyoming. Details vary: some states require an enhanced permit or a minimum age of 21, and most let schools restrict carry in specific places such as stadiums, labs or health clinics. Most other states leave the decision to boards of regents or to individual schools, and a minority ban carry by statute. Private colleges generally set their own rules, which is why the existing “Private School vs Public School” comparison below matters.

The recent trend has gone both ways. West Virginia’s Campus Self-Defense Act took effect July 1, 2024, and Wyoming’s repeal of most gun-free zones opened University of Wyoming buildings to permit holders on July 1, 2025. In the other direction, Colorado’s SB24-131 banned carry on public campuses outside parking areas starting July 1, 2024, and the Montana Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the Board of Regents, not the Legislature, controls firearm policy on university property.

Key Facts

  • 2004: Utah became the first state to allow permit holders to carry at all public colleges and universities.
  • August 1, 2016: Texas campus carry (SB 11, 2015) took effect at public four-year universities; community colleges followed August 1, 2017.
  • July 1, 2017: Georgia’s campus carry law (HB 280) took effect for permit holders 21 and older, with listed exceptions.
  • June 29, 2022: The Montana Supreme Court held the campus provisions of HB 102 (2021) unconstitutional under the state constitution’s grant of authority to the Board of Regents.
  • July 1, 2024: West Virginia’s Campus Self-Defense Act (SB 10, 2023) took effect; Colorado’s SB24-131 restrictions also took effect that day.
  • July 1, 2025: Wyoming HB 172 repealed most gun-free zones; permit holders 21 and older may now carry concealed in most University of Wyoming buildings.

What Gun Owners Should Know

  • Read your school’s written weapons policy as well as state law. Violating a campus policy can lead to expulsion or firing even where it is not a crime.
  • Check permit requirements: several campus carry states require a resident or enhanced permit, and some do not honor out-of-state permits on campus.
  • Know the excluded areas (sporting events, labs, child care centers, hospitals) and plan for vehicle storage where it is allowed.
  • Federal law still applies to K-12 school zones; see Gun Free Zones.
  • Related topics: Constitutional Carry and CCW Permits by State.

Sources

Background and Resources

Private School vs Public School