Wyoming’s House of Representatives is charging ahead with a bill that could make the Cowboy State the next frontier for true constitutional carry on college campuses, letting law-abiding students pack heat for self-defense without jumping through the state’s permitting hoops. This isn’t some radical overreach—it’s a straightforward extension of Wyoming’s existing permitless carry laws, which already allow concealed carry for those 21 and older pretty much anywhere off-campus. Picture this: a young woman walking back from late-night study sessions at the University of Wyoming, no longer defenseless against the kind of predators who don’t care about gun-free zone signs. The legislation recognizes that campuses aren’t ivory towers immune to real-world threats; they’re soft targets where active shooters like the 2015 Umpqua Community College killer exploited disarmed victims.
Diving deeper, this move flips the script on the tired anti-2A narrative that colleges are somehow sacred no-go zones for self-defense rights. Wyoming joins a growing chorus of red states—like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee—that have already greenlit campus carry, with zero apocalypse unfolding. Data from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows concealed-carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding demographics, eight times less likely to commit crimes than the general population. Critics will wail about accidental discharges or escalation, but that’s fearmongering debunked by years of real-world experience in states with these laws—no spikes in campus violence, just empowered students. For the 2A community, this is a masterclass in incremental wins: start with statewide permitless carry (Wyoming did that in 2011), then chip away at the last institutional holdouts like universities, where administrators cling to outdated gun-free fantasies.
The implications? Massive. If Wyoming passes this—and with a Republican supermajority, odds are good—it signals to blue-state holdouts that the campus carry domino is falling nationwide. It bolsters the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, affirming that self-defense rights don’t evaporate at campus gates. 2A advocates should rally behind this: contact your Wyoming reps, amplify the story, and watch as it inspires copycat bills elsewhere. This isn’t just about guns; it’s about restoring sovereignty to citizens over bureaucratic nannyism, one campus at a time. Saddle up, patriots—Wyoming’s leading the charge.