With Repeal Of Wyoming’s Gun-Free Zones Likely, Opponents Ask For Exceptions

With the repeal of Wyoming’s gun-free zones likely looming, opponents ask legislators to at least consider some exemptions, such as continuing to ban guns in college dorms. 

“There seems to be considerable will within the body (the Wyoming Legislature) to pass this legislation,” University of Wyoming spokesman Mike Smith said during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

He, along with other opponents of House Bill 172, asked lawmakers to at least consider some exemptions that UW and community colleges have asked for – including forbidding students to keep firearms in their dorm rooms. 

UW Student and Branding Iron student newspaper editor Ven Meester said that passing the bill, but including some exemptions, could finally settle years of debate over gun free zones, in a manner that will satisfy all viewpoints.

HB 172 previously passed the House, and the Senate Judiciary Committee is charged with deciding whether to forward it to the Senate floor. 

The committee took no action on Thursday, as the entire meeting was taken up by testimony from both supporters and opponents of the bill. 

The committee is scheduled to take the bill up again on Tuesday, starting with more testimony. 

The current debate over whether to eliminate gun-free zones in Wyoming mirrors that over a similar bill brought before the 2024 legislative session. That bill passed both chambers – but was vetoed at the last minute by Gov. Mark Gordon. 

Tragedy In Byron, Lead Poisoning Cited

During testimony references were made to a tragedy Monday in the tiny town of Byron, where a mother reportedly shot her four daughters, then herself. 

HB 172 opponent Beth Howard of Cheyenne said that Wyoming’s existing regulations for carrying concealed firearms are already “woefully inadequate.”

The bill calls for people with concealed carry permits to take their firearms into places where they are currently forbidden, such as public schools and inside buildings at UW. 

People who buy firearms from licensed gun dealers in Wyoming must pass federal background checks.

But the information for those background checks on Wyoming residents don’t include records of possible involuntary commitment to mental health treatment facilities, Howard said. 

A common argument is that “it’s not a gun problem, it’s a mental health problem. In Wyoming, it’s both,” she said. 

“The recent murder-suicide in Byron is all the evidence we need of this,” she added. 

Greg Hunter of Laramie said he is a gun owner and Second Amendment advocate, but questions whether allowing people to carry guns into more places really reduces the risk of crime. 

A huge driver of violence during the mid-20^th Century was lead in gasoline, he told the committee. 

“The rise and fall of serial killers in society can be correlated with the pumping of lead into society,” he said. 

And exposing children to lead residue at gun ranges could turn them into “violent, murderous sex offenders,” he said. 

Opposition Is Just Emotion, Advocates Say 

Gun rights advocate Mark Jones of Buffalo and others argued that numerous other states have allowed guns on college campuses and in government buildings, without the dire consequences that opponents of HB 172 say they fear. 

“This is an emotional issue where people are scared of guns,” said Jones, national director for Gun Owners of America. 

The 2024 bill to eliminate gun-free zones was passed by large majority of the legislature, and the current bill also reflects the will of most of Wyoming’s people, Jones said. 

Some argued that gun policies should be decided at the local level, by bodies such as school boards and the UW board of trustees. 

Jones said that Constitutional rights should not be decided at the local level. He cited restrictive COVID-19 lockdowns and the denial of black Americans’ voting rights as past examples of that going wrong. 

Hunting Rifles Still Allowed At Airports 

HB 172 sponsor Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, said that some exemptions are already written into the bill. 

Those include guns still being forbidden at such gatherings as UW sporting events where alcohol is being served. 

People should also not be allowed to carry concealed firearms in secure areas of airports, said Devon Brubaker, director of Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport in Rock Springs.

However, passengers traveling on hunting trips would still be allowed to check their rifles in as baggage, he added.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.