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A Republican legislator who has pushed for laxer gun laws in Utah has surprisingly changed direction with his latest bill: He’s now moving to ban open carry at the state’s public college campuses.
That would be a significant change after the state’s loose restrictions drew attention following the shooting death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in September.
Rep. Walt Brooks, who represents St. George and whose legislative biography notes he is a member of the National Rifle Association, announced his significant about-face on HB84 during a committee meeting late last week.
“Open carrying does cause a lot of concern with a lot of people, especially on campuses,” he said during a hearing on his measure before the House Public Utilities and Energy Committee. “Working with the higher education commissioner, we removed that piece.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) People visit a memorial at Utah Valley University on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, near where Charlie Kirk, conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed.
Originally, Brooks had drafted his bill to make it clear in state law that both open carry and concealed carry are legal at Utah’s eight public colleges and universities.
He did that after an effort to recodify the law last year caused confusion, with some thinking the law now prohibited open carry on college campuses and others, including the University of Utah, telling their campus communities that open carry was allowed for the first time.
Neither is correct. Open carrying on Utah’s campuses has been legal since 2021, under a bill also sponsored by Brooks at the time. It made Utah a “constitutional carry” state, allowing residents 21 years or older to carry a weapon — either openly or concealed — without a permit or background check in most places. That includes rifles, shotguns and handguns.
On public higher education campuses, there has been one small restriction: A Utah concealed carry permit is required to open carry.
Utah allows residents over the age of 21 to obtain a permit to carry a concealed gun. The state also issues “provisional permits” for those 18 to 20 years old — the typical age of a college student. Those younger than 18 cannot open or concealed carry.
Brooks had initially moved to drop that permit restriction for campuses in his original bill.
“In our code, you could always open carry and conceal carry on higher education campuses,” he acknowledged.
But under his amended measure, if passed this session, only concealed carry would be allowed at public colleges — no permit needed.
The measure got initial approval from the committee on an 8-1 vote, with the only Democrat present, Rep. Rosalba Dominguez, of Murray, against. It goes next to the full House for consideration.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Rosalba Dominguez, D-Murray, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
Dominguez said she has heard from students “and the trauma they’ve endured on campus already.” She is worried about allowing any guns.
“I hear them, I see them and I totally understand,” she said.
Several gun advocates spoke in support of the measure during the committee hearing, including the Utah Shooting Sports Council and the Utah chapter of Women for Gun Rights.
Drew Wilcox, a professor at Utah Tech University, said he supports gun rights and teaches hunter education courses. But he said open carry on campus does cause anxiety. He supports permitting only concealed carry.
“I do see a definite need there,” he said. That “allows up to do our jobs and feel safe on campus.”
Rep. Rex Shipp, R-Cedar City, raised questions about what the measure would mean for students who want to have guns in their dorm rooms.
“We live in a state of hunting,” Shipp said. “We all do a lot of hunting.” He added, specifically nodding to Brooks: “I know you do.”
He asked: If a student wanted to go hunting, could they bring their rifle into their dorm room under the updated measure?
Brooks noted that HB84 would prohibit that. A student would need to leave it in their car.
That also is a significant change: Students had previously been able to keep open carry weapons in their dorms. But roommates who were uncomfortable living with someone who had a gun could request another room assignment.
Other gun bills this session
The measure is one of several gun bills this session that have come in the fallout of Kirk’s death.
• Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy, is running HB180. That bill also pushed to ban open carry on college campuses. But Stoddard feared it wouldn’t pass in the conservative-dominant Legislature, so he changed it to only ban open carry in K-12 schools and day cares. Currently, carrying openly is banned under federal law in K-12 schools, but not Utah law. The bill was held up in committee Thursday.
• Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Millcreek, has proposed SB260 to allow each college or university to set their own rules for open carry on campus. It has not yet been assigned to a committee.
• HB166, by Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Taylorsville, would ban open carry within 500 feet of a large public gathering of more than 200 people, including protests and rallies. The measure comes after the shooting death of a bystander at a “No Kings” rally in Salt Lake City last summer, when a safety volunteer allegedly reacted to seeing another man carrying a rifle. It has not been heard yet this session.
• HB534, from Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, would make it so the government could not be held liable for injury or death if an individual was shot on government-owned property where firearms are allowed, including college campuses. The bill was publicly released Wednesday and has not yet been deliberated by lawmakers.
None of the measures would change the rules for Utah law enforcement officers, who are exempt from the policies around gun restrictions based on location.