US: University takes aim at campus gun law

The University of Utah's president asked school trustees last Tuesday to help thwart possible legislation allowing the open display of firearms on campus, a move that could reopen a contentious debate between educators and lawmakers over gun policies, writes Brian Maffly for The Salt Lake Tribune.

At stake are the university's ability to attract top faculty and its contribution to the state's economic development, Michael Young told trustees. "This needs to be a higher education issue, not a University of Utah issue," said attorney Randy Dryer, who chairs the trustees' board.

Guns on campus have been a long-simmering issue in Utah, predating Young's tenure as president. After a contentious legal wrangle, the university was forced to allow concealed-weapon permit holders to be armed on campus. But university authorities drew the line at open carry, attracting the ire of gun-rights advocates. The issue reignited last week after the university suspended two campus police officers for releasing internal protocols that guide the handling of people who openly carry guns.
Full report on The Salt Lake Tribune site