Republican Rep. Walt Brooks introduced legislation to ban open carry at Utah’s public college campuses, a reversal for a lawmaker with an NRA background. The move follows the September shooting at Utah Valley University that intensified scrutiny of campus firearm policies and public safety measures. The bill signals a potential shift in state‑level higher education policy debates over campus security and gun access, and it could prompt other public universities to revisit internal rules on weapons, emergency response protocols and the balance between faculty, student and community safety.