Colorado Senate president thinks allowing guns on college campuses would ‘cause more deaths’

President of the Colorado state Senate John Morse believes that allowing licensed students to concealed carry firearms on college campuses would inevitably lead to more murders, his chief of staff told Campus Reform on Wednesday.  

Colorado Senate President John Morse thinks allowing concealed carry on college campuses will result in gun violence.

“Putting guns on campuses will cause more deaths,” said Kjersten Forseth. “His general view is that the more guns, the more suicides, the more homicides, and the more accidental deaths you have,” she added.

Katherine Whitney, spokeswoman for the Colorado chapter of Students for Concealed Carry, however, told Campus Reform on Thursday that her organization is not aware of any acts of violence that have ever been committed by students with concealed carry permits on college campuses.

“[T]here has not been a single incident of a Colorado student with a concealed carry permit using a handgun to kill or commit an act of violence on campus,” she said. “On the other hand there have been numerous rapes and murders that have occurred on or near campuses that could have been prevented had the victim had a concealed handgun.”

“I am offended that the senate president wants to increase my vulnerability to rape and assault as I walk home from class late at night,” Whitney, who is also a law student at the University of Colorado, added.

In 2011, the Colorado Supreme Court granted individuals the right to carry guns on college campuses, ruling Colorado’s Concealed Carry Act applied to college campuses.

However, on Monday, the Colorado House passed House Bill 1226, 34-31, which modifies the Concealed Carry Act to exclude colleges, making it illegal to carry a firearm on school grounds. The Senate is expected to consider the House’s legislation within the next couple weeks.

Forseth told Campus Reform she expects the upper chamber to clear the bill and send it to the governor for his signature.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @oliverdarcy