Student says college violated rights by banning protest
Associated Press - May 23, 2008 6:45 PM ET

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A student says a college violated some students' constitutional rights by not allowing them to wear empty gun holsters as part of a nationwide protest over campuses' ban on concealed weapons.

Brett Poulos says a Tarrant County College official said empty holsters could not be worn anywhere on campus. Poulos said he was told students could protest only in the "free-speech zone" - a 12-by-12-foot concrete platform.

Juan Garcia, vice president for student development for the 2-year college, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he denied Poulos' request because "from a distance, you can't tell if a holster is empty or not."

Although every state but Illinois and Wisconsin allows residents some form of concealed handgun carrying rights, many states prohibit license-holders from taking weapons to school campuses. In states where the universities decide, they almost always ban it. Utah is the only state that expressly allows students to carry concealed weapons on campus.

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