Utah campus open carry permit under fresh scrutiny after Kirk shooting [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Sun 14 Sep 2025 15.09 EDT
First published on Sun 14 Sep 2025 08.00 EDT


As authorities at the federal and state levels parse the details of the fatal shooting of far-right activist Charlie Kirk at a university in Utah, a recently passed state bill that allows people with concealed-carry permits to carry firearms openly on college campuses has drawn fresh scrutiny.

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. The law allowed people with the proper permit to carry them openly.

When the law passed in August, university staff voiced concerns about what carrying could mean for classroom emergencies that might require students to act as armed responders and their presence in laboratories where harmful and potent chemicals were stored.

While it’s unclear whether the suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was legally allowed to own the hunting rifle used in the shooting, or have one on a university campus, the proximity between the bill’s passing and the shooting has pushed the law into headlines across the US. The bill did not come in a vacuum, but added to Utah’s already second amendment-friendly legislative landscape.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/14/utah-campus-concealed-carry-permit