San Diego

The state of Utah has passed legislation that will compel its universities to allow concealed handguns on campus.

The law, signed on 25 March by state governer Olene Walker and due to take effect on 3 May, instructs institutions including the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to allow the guns. For more than two years, the university has battled to maintain its exemption from a 1996 law that allows permit holders to carry concealed weapons in the state (see Nature 417, 212; 200310.1038/417212a).

The passage of the new law has caused consternation among faculty members at the university, which is currently seeking a president to replace Bernard Machen, who left in January to become president of the University of Florida at Gainesville.

Andrew Gitlin, a sociologist who is president of the university's academic senate, says that the legislation will deter many candidates. “The first question they will be asked is: will you fight this or not?” he says.