LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed on Monday an amicus brief in support of the University of Michigan’s prohibition of firearms on its campus, which is being challenged in a lawsuit pending in the state Supreme Court.
Plaintiffs in Wade v. University of Michigan argue the university’s authority to ban firearms on campus.
Nessel argues U of M is acting within its rights, however.
In her amicus brief, Nessel says the U.S. Supreme Court – while hearing previous cases that focused on the second amendment of the Constitution – has recognized that firearms may be prohibited in certain places.
“When it declared the rough contours of the amendment, the Court was careful to single out core areas in which governments may regulate firearms – including longstanding prohibitions on guns at school,” Nessel wrote. “From the first colleges on American soil to the present day, states and colleges have exercised their authority to regulate firearms in myriad ways, from outright bans to clear permission to carry. The university’s prohibition fits within this range of permissible options.”
Nessel also notes that restrictions on carrying firearms also exist in sensitive places like churches and schools, and also for certain individuals, such as the mentally ill or convicted felons.
Read the full amicus brief here.
