Republican Rep. Walt Brooks introduced HB84 to ban open carry on Utah’s public college campuses after a public reversal from his previous advocacy for looser gun rules. Brooks announced the pivot following heightened scrutiny of campus safety after the fatal shooting of commentator Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. The proposal would represent a major policy change in a state that recently loosened firearm restrictions and would constrain where firearms are permitted on public campuses. Supporters say the measure addresses immediate safety concerns raised by the Kirk killing; opponents argue it undermines Second Amendment rights and campus autonomy. College public-safety directors and campus police departments will need to reconcile state-level changes with institutional emergency protocols, student-life operations and liability exposures if the bill advances.