The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that students and staff members
at the commonwealth’s universities may legally store guns and other
deadly weapons in a car's glove compartment, but that the schools may
continue to regulate them elsewhere on campus.
The decision came in the case of University of Kentucky graduate
student and anesthesia technician Michael Mitchell, who lost his job
in 2009 after campus police found a semi-automatic pistol in his car.
Mitchell, who has a concealed weapons permit, sued the university
claiming he was wrongfully fired for having the gun in his car.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Larson says today’s ruling is a clear
example of state law, which allows a law-abiding gun owner to store a
firearm in a car’s glove compartment, trumping a university’s safety
policy. He says,
“There are some very, very strong feelings in support of the second
amendment that allows people to own and possess firearms around the
country. So does this surprise me? No, because the legislature made,
you know, they said that that was an exemption from any university
regulations and that was that you can have it on university property
so long as it was in the glove box.”
Fayette Circuit Judge Pamela Goodwine ruled in favor of the
university. The high court reinstated Mitchell's suit and sent it back
to Fayette Circuit Court for further proceedings.
