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AG Nessel Files Brief in Support of University of Michigan's Ban of Firearms on Campus

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today filed 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 Michigan Supreme Court. 

Plaintiffs in Wade v. University of Michigan are challenging the Ann Arbor institution’s authority to ban firearms on campus, though Attorney General Nessel argues the university is acting within its rights. 

In her amicus brief, Nessel notes that 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 in her brief that restrictions on carrying firearms exist in sensitive places like churches or schools, and also for certain individuals, such as the mentally ill or convicted felons. 

The university is within its rights to prohibit firearms on campus to ensure the safety of its students and employees and the public at-large, without infringing on the protections provided in the Second Amendment that allow individuals to possess firearms. 

Click here to view a copy of the brief.  

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