AG files lawsuit against University of Missouri in concealed carry case

The Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Boone County Circuit Court in support of a MU law professor who wants to keep his gun in his car on campus.

Professor Royce De Barondes sued the university Board of Curators and former UM System President Tim Wolfe in September 2015 citing the university’s ban on guns on campus violates state law.

ABC 17 News reached out to Chris Koster’s office Wednesday for comment on the lawsuit. Nancy Gonder, the office’s Press Secretary responded the following in an email:

“This filing is a parallel step in the year-long litigation initiated by a University of Missouri-Columbia law professor against the University of Missouri. In September of 2015, the law professor, a full-time employee of the University, challenged the University’s rule against securing a lawfully owned weapon in the trunk of his car while parked on campus. The professor’s action was filed in Cole County, Missouri.”

“Attorney General Koster initiated this action to stabilize the legal issue in a proper venue, and to ensure that Missouri statutes and constitution are applied correctly and responsibly.”?

Current University regulations do not “allow concealed-carry permit holders to carry concealed weapons on University property.”

However, Barondes’ attorneys argue an amendment to Missouri’s Constitution passed by voters in 2014 directly conflicts with the universities concealed carry policy.

The provisions to the state constitution, known as “Amendment 5”, states ‘every citizen has a right to bear arms and those rights are unalienable’ and that ‘any restriction on these rights are subject to strict scrutiny.’

The Board of Curators has argued the constitution allows it to govern and issue rules for the University.

But in the lawsuit, Koster said the University’s concealed carry rule ‘burdens more right to bear arms restrictions than necessary to ensure public safety.’