State-Level Firearms Legislation

Republican lawmakers in at least eight states are advancing or debating legislation in 2026 to allow firearms on college campuses, citing recent mass shootings at Old Dominion University in Virginia and Brown University in Rhode Island as proof that students and faculty are "helpless" under current gun‑free‑zone rules. The article details Florida measures that would let public‑college students, faculty and staff carry guns, including a House bill authorizing trained faculty and staff that is already on the governor’s desk, and a Senate bill that would extend carry rights more broadly. In Louisiana, a bill authored in part by GOP Rep. Danny McCormick would remove higher‑education institutions from the state’s list of gun‑free zones and allow any legal adult to carry on campus, with sponsors arguing this simply aligns campuses with existing carry law. The piece notes that more than a dozen states already permit some form of campus carry, while university presidents and other critics warn that expanding guns on campus introduces new safety risks, accidental‑shooting concerns and financial burdens for security upgrades. The political fight is unfolding amid heightened public anxiety and social‑media debate following the Old Dominion attack by a convicted felon linked to ISIS and the Brown shooting that left multiple students dead and injured, with both sides using those incidents to argue either for more armed "good guys" or for tightening access to guns near classrooms.