Repeal Of Gun-Free Zones Is Close To Gov. Gordon’s Desk — Will He Veto It Again?

For the second year in a row, a repeal of Wyoming’s gun-free zones is close to hitting Gov. Mark Gordon’s desk, although it wasn’t clear Friday whether Gordon will sign or veto the bill if it does. 

House Bill 172 cleared its next to final hurdle in the Legislature, passing a third reading on the Senate floor by a vote of 25-6. 

The Senate also rejected two amendments that would have given public schools more control over who would be allowed to carry concealed firearms on school grounds. That means the bill goes to concurrence, which is a process for House and Senate members to hammer out the differences before sending it on.

A spokesman for Gordon’s office had little to say when asked by Cowboy State Daily if the governor has given any indication of whether he’ll sign the bill into law. 

“The governor will review the bill carefully once it reaches his desk,” Micheal Pearlman stated in an email. 

A repeal of gun-free zones was passed by the Legislature in 2024 but vetoed by Gordon at the last minute. 

Differing Reactions

Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, was the primary sponsor of HB 172, as well as last year’s proposal. 

After Gordon vetoed the 2024 bill, he told Cowboy State Daily that he was determined to try again this year. 

He was pleased with Friday’s Senate vote, but unsure of whether Gordon will sign HB 172. 

“I am proud of the Senate for their good work and look forward to seeing what the governor does for the people of Wyoming,” he said. “I don’t know what the governor will do.”

One of the bill’s most outspoken critics, Beth Howard of Cheyenne, said she also isn’t sure what Gordon will decide.  

“I can’t begin to know what the governor will or will not do,” she said. 

However, she added that “there will be a wide public push for him to veto the bill.”

As she sees it, most Wyomingites favor the current gun-free zones in places such as public schools, buildings on the University of Wyoming campus and the state Capitol building.

There seems to be a “break” between what most people in Wyoming want and what the Legislature decided, both this year and in 2024, Howard said. 

No Opt-Out For Schools

During the debate leading up to the vote Friday, Sens. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, and Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, bought amendments that would have allowed public school districts more leeway in deciding who could carry concealed firearms on school grounds. 

Both amendments failed. 

The first amendment would have allowed school staff with concealed carry permits to carry firearms, but would have let the districts decide if members of the general public could do the same. 

The second proposed amendment would have allowed school districts to opt out of repealing their gun-free zones, if they had already trained and certified some of their staff to carry concealed guns. 

Gierau and others said that would have stuck a balance between allowing for local control of firearms policy at schools, while keeping schools from becoming “soft targets” for potential mass shooters. 

Other senators argued that the amendments would have undermined Second Amendment rights and defeated the purpose of HB 172.

As it relates to public schools, the main purpose is to discourage would-be mass shooters, because they would never be certain whether armed citizens would be present at schools they tried to attack, said Sen. John Kolb, R-Rock Springs.

The idea is to “spread uncertainty amongst those would attempt to take the lives of the most innocent among us,” Kolb said.

Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com

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