Elementary and Secondary Schools

Wyoming prohibits concealed carry in elementary and secondary school facilities.¹ No statute prohibits a person with a concealed carry permit from openly carrying, however.

Under Wyoming law, school districts may authorize employees who hold a concealed carry permit to carry a concealed firearm on or into school facilities or other areas designated by the board of trustees.² “School employee” is defined by the law as any person employed by the school district, including but not limited to:

• Superintendents and assistant superintendents;
• Principals and assistant principals;
• Teachers and teacher’s aids;
• Guidance counselors;
• Librarians;
• Coaches;
• Business managers;
• Secretaries or administrative assistants;
• Janitors;
• Bus drivers; or
• Other employees of a school district.³

Employees must carry the firearm or keep it in a concealed biometric container or lock box within the direct control of the individual at all times. The school district must establish an application and approval process for employees possessing a valid concealed carry permit. The district must also establish training requirements, curricula, and instructor qualifications, subject to approval by local law enforcement.

The training course must include:

• An initial course that includes at least 16 hours of live fire handgun training, and eight hours of “scenario-based training using nonlethal training,” firearms, and ammunition; and
• Annual firearm qualification and documented recurrent training of not less than 12 hours with an approved instructor.

The board of trustees in any school district, however, may waive all or part of the training requirements for isolated rural schools and employees in those schools. The superintendent of the district must notify all law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the area of the location and names of all employees who receive permission to carry firearms. The identities of the employees who receive permission to carry firearms shall be confidential and not public records.⁴

While Wyoming still prohibits students from possessing a firearm on public school grounds, and generally prohibits concealed weapons on k-12 campuses by non-employees, the state does not have a general prohibition on the possession of firearms on school property.⁵

College and University Campuses

Wyoming generally prohibits anyone who is authorized to carry a concealed firearm, with or without a permit, from carrying a concealed firearm into:

• Any college or university facility without the written consent of the security service of the college or university; or
• Any college athletic event not related to firearms.⁶

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1. Wyo. Stat. § 6-8-104(t)(ix).[↩]
2. Wyo. Stat. § 21-3-132(a).[↩]
3. Id. at (b).[↩]
4. Id. at (c)-(f).[↩]
5. See Wyo. Stat. §§ 21-4-306(a)(v) and 6-8-104(t)(ix).[↩]
6. Wyo. Stat. § 6-8-104(t).[↩]