Due to a Supreme Court ruling in late June, some citizens believe universities in Arizona are closer than ever to allowing guns on campus.
Arizona, long known for its permissive gun laws, has been the stage for various attempts to legalize the possession of concealed weapons on campus.
The latest such state bill entered the Legislature last March and was voted down. Currently, Utah is the only state to allow students to carry concealed weapons on school grounds, but because of a controversial Washington D.C. case recently decided in the U.S. Supreme Court, many people feel the issue could resurface before long.
"The fact that the Supreme Court upheld the Second Amendment gives hope that our issue will begin to get more attention and consideration," said Sam Edwards, a member of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national organization that lobbies for the right to bear concealed weapons at universities across the nation.
Edwards said that he believes carrying personal firearms on campus is not only a basic constitutional right, but that it would decrease the loss of life in the event of a school shooting such as the Virginia Tech incident of 2007. Others disagree with his position.