Collegeguns on campusVideoreuters

University Of Florida Sued Over Campus Gun Ban

Group Suing To Allow Guns In Dorms
Reuters
|

By Zachary Fagenson

MIAMI, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A Florida gun rights group is suing the University of Florida claiming that a school-wide firearms ban barring students from keeping weapons in dormitories breaks both state and federal laws.

The lawsuit is the second time in recent months Florida Carry Inc has taken one of the state's 12 public universities to court over gun control policies. On Dec. 10 a state appeals court ruled 12-3 that the University of North Florida violated state law when it prohibited a woman from storing a loaded gun in her car.

The court said the state legislature ultimately holds the power to regulate guns, trumping local governments and universities. For decades, the legislature has spurned tighter gun control.

The latest suit raises concern over whether students can keep guns in their dorm room, which Florida Carry believes qualify as homes and second amendment protection.

"For years universities and police departments have been arguing that dorms are special for Fourth Amendment and every time they've raised that argument it's been rejected," said Eric Friday, lead counsel for Florida Carry. "I have a hard time seeing why the Second Amendment is different."

U.F. spokeswoman Janine Sikes in an email said the university has yet to be served with the complaint and the 48,815-student institution in North Florida is complying with state laws banning guns on university campuses, including residence halls.

"U.F. is also fully complying with the (First District Court of Appeals) ruling that allows individuals 18 years or older to securely store guns in vehicles on campus," she said.

Florida Carry Executive Director Sean Caranna said since the December ruling, he has been in contact with many of Florida's public universities regarding their gun control policies. All together more than 334,000 students are enrolled in the state's public universities.

"We were very concerned when we saw the University of Florida hadn't changed their policies so we contacted the university, told them we thought their response was insufficient given the order from the court of appeals and additional changes were necessary," Caranna said. "They were very dismissive of that," he added.

The case is Florida Carry Inc v University of Florida, 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida, CA 000104. (Editing by David Adams and Eric Walsh)

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Recent Shootings On College Campuses In The Past 3 Years
Oikos University(01 of19)
Open Image Modal
One Goh, Man Charged In Shooting Spree At Oikos University, Apologizes During TV InterviewPHOTO: A memorial at the entrance of Oikos University is shown in Oakland, Calif., Monday, April 23, 2012. Some students and staff members have arrived to resume class at Oikus University, the small California Christian college where seven people were shot to death. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:AP)
Amy Bishop - University of Alabama(02 of19)
Open Image Modal
FILE - This Feb. 13, 2010, file booking photo provided by the Huntsville, Ala., Police Department shows college professor Amy Bishop, sentenced to life in prison for capital murder in the Feb. 12, 2010 shooting deaths of three faculty members at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Court documents filed by Bishops lawyer in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, Oct. 1, 2012 say she wants to go on trial in the 1986 death of her brother in Massachusetts. The district attorney decided not to move forward with the murder indictment against Bishop because in that case after she received the life sentence in the Alabama case. (AP Photo/Huntsville Police Department, File) (credit:AP)
Texas A&M Shooting: Gunman, Officer And Civilian Dead In College Station Shooting(03 of19)
Open Image Modal
Texas A&M Shooting: Gunman, Officer And Civilian Dead In College Station ShootingIn this Aug. 13, 2012 photo provided by Rigo Cisneros, an officer takes cover, center, behind a vehicle during a shooting at a house in College Station, Texas, near Texas A&M University. Brazos County constable Brian Bachmann, a veteran of 19 years, was making what was supposed to be a routine house call to serve an eviction notice at the property when the recipient, Thomas Alton Caffall, opened fire and shots were exchanged. Bachmann, Caffall and another man were killed by the gunfire. (AP Photo/Rigo Cisneros) (credit:AP)
CASPER COLLEGE SHOOTING(04 of19)
Open Image Modal
Police investigate a homicide at Casper College on Friday morning, Nov. 30, 2012, in Casper, Wyo. At least one person was killed and another was wounded Friday in an attack at Casper College, a community college in central Wyoming. (AP Photo/Casper Star-Tribune, Alan Rogers) (credit:AP)
Hampton University Shooting: Former Student Shot Two, Turned Gun On Himself (05 of19)
Open Image Modal
AP: A former Hampton University student armed with three guns followed a pizza delivery man into the student's former dorm early Sunday, shot the delivery man and a dorm monitor, then turned the gun on himself, university officials said. All three survived.No current students were injured and both victims and the alleged shooter were expected to recover. Officials could offer no motive for the shooting. (credit:Wikimedia Commons)
USC Halloween Shooting(06 of19)
Open Image Modal
Reuters: A gunman opened fire outside a large Halloween party at the University of Southern California and wounded four people in the second major shooting incident involving the urban Los Angeles institution this year, police said.PHOTO: University students walk to classes as Los Angeles police officers investigate a shooting that occurred Wed. night at a halloween party on the University of Southern California Campus in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. Los Angeles police say two men apprehended after a Halloween shooting on the USC campus are still being interviewed and three of the four people wounded have been released from the hospital. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) (credit:AP)
Lane College(07 of19)
Open Image Modal
On Feb. 1, 2012, a 21-year-old man was shot in the head on the Lane College campus in Jackson, TN. He was not a student, but was shot in a parking lot in front of the school gymnasium around 6 p.m. that evening. (credit:Lane College)
Hazard Shooting: 2 Killed At Community College Shooting In Kentucky(08 of19)
Open Image Modal
Hazard Shooting: 2 Killed At Community College Shooting In Kentucky:Members of the Perry County Sheriff Office respond to the scene at Hazard Community College on Tuesday night, Jan. 15, 2013, after a shooting at the school in Hazard, Ky. Authorities say two people were shot and killed and a teen was wounded in the parking lot of the eastern Kentucky community college. (AP Photo/The Ashland Daily Independent, Joshua Ball) (credit:AP)
Stevens Institute of Business and Arts in St. Louis(09 of19)
Open Image Modal
Police respond to the report of a shooting at Stevens Institute of Business and Arts on Washington Avenue in St. Louis on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013. A part-time student strode into the office of a longtime administrator at the school and shot the man in the chest, creating panic in the school before turning the gun on himself, police said. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Carson) (credit:AP)
Shooting Near UCF(10 of19)
Open Image Modal
A double shooting took place near the University of Central Florida campus at the Campus Crossing Apartment complex in January 2013. (credit:Knight News)
Pennsylvania College of Technology(11 of19)
Open Image Modal
In early January, PennLive.com reported the Pennsylvania College of Technology issued an email alert after an individual was shot to death close to campus.
Lone Star College - North Harris Campus (12 of19)
Open Image Modal
Multiple people were injured on Jan. 22, 2013 in a shooting on the Lone Star College North Harris campus in Texas. (credit:Screengrab)
Morehouse College Student Shot After Basketball Game(13 of19)
Open Image Modal
The AP reported on Feb. 2, 2013:
A Morehouse College student has been hospitalized after being shot over a pick-up basketball game. Morehouse Spokeswoman Elise Durham said the shooting happened at Samuel A. Archer Hall. Police spokesman John Chafee says officers responded to a report of a shooting on the campus and turned the investigation over to Morehouse campus police. Durham says four shots were fired and the unidentified student is in stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Two of the people suspected in the shooting are believed to be students at the Atlanta University Center, according to the AP. (credit:Wikimedia Commons: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moreyard.jpg" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Toricr8zy" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5bae4c1be4b022a916c9dd9a" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moreyard.jpg" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="8" data-vars-position-in-unit="8">Toricr8zy</a>)
Indian River State College - Feb. 7(14 of19)
Open Image Modal
On Feb. 7, a student was shot in the parking lot of a training complex near the main campus of Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla. WPTV reports:
A female student at Indian River State College was shot and injured as a gunman and police traded fire Thursday in the parking lot of the college’s campus, a college spokeswoman said.The student was injured as police converged on the armed man in the parking lot of the Treasure Coast Public Safety Complex on the college’s campus at 4600 Kirby Loop Road in Fort Pierce.
 (credit:WPTV)
Florida Atlantic University - Feb. 8(15 of19)
Open Image Modal
WPTV reported one person was shot at Florida Atlantic University on Feb. 8, prompting an evacuation of the campus. (credit:WPTV)
University of Maryland murder-suicide near campus(16 of19)
Open Image Modal
Police said Dayvon Green lit a fire in the basement of a house he shared with two roommates. When the roommates came outside, he shot at both them before killing himself. One roommate died, the other survived, and it was later found out that Green had a mental disorder. (credit:WJLA)
Coastal Carolina University(17 of19)
Open Image Modal
A shooting took place at a university residence hall at Coastal Carolina University on Feb. 26, Reuters reported. One person was killed. (credit:Coastal Carolina's Facebook)
New River Community College(18 of19)
Open Image Modal
The Associated Press reported on April 12:
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. -- A man shot two women at a mall branch of a community college in Virginia Friday before he was subdued by police, a city official said.One of the victims was airlifted to a hospital and the other was taken by ambulance for treatment, said Christianburg city spokeswoman Becky Wilbur. Their conditions and identities were not immediately available.
 (credit:WDBJ)
Elizabeth City State University (2)(19 of19)
Open Image Modal
Student shot near dorm at Elizabeth City State University, WAVY reported on April 13, 2013:
A shooting at Elizabeth City State University Saturday night put the campus on lock down.At a news conference today, the ECSU Police Chief Sam Beamon confirmed he spoke with a 23-year-old named Jake (we will not release his last name) and he is back on campus and was shot once in the right thigh. Beamon confirms Jake was shot outside Butler Hall, a university dormitory hall, late Saturday night.
This was the second shooting on the ECSU campus within a week. (credit:WAVY)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip