A Telling Gun-Control Debate
on a College Campus

A small group of Michigan students are urging their college to ignore existing law and ban guns, even on the surrounding public roads.

When Cate Dombrowski, 20, arrived at Michigan State University (MSU), she helped start Michigan State Students Against Gun Violence and, having already decided upon gun control as the solution, began searching for problems.

Michigan’s statutes generally permit campus carry as long as the carrier is not employed or enrolled at the college, and doesn’t enter any buildings. In 2009, concurrent with D.C. v. Heller (2008), MSU tweaked its gun-ban ordinance to allow for this state exception.

“This is a policy that endangers students on campus every day,” Dombrowski complained to The Detroit News. “We don’t have an issue with people owning guns [but] there are certain places where we have to decide that weapons are not necessary, and Michigan State’s campus is one of those places,” she said.

Along with Wayne State University and the University of Michigan (UM), MSU is one of three universities established by the state’s constitution. Their governing bodies are chosen in elections. Some of the officials at these colleges take that to mean they have the power to create laws regardless of the state constitution. .....