COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is not a gun free campus, as it does have procedures and policies in place to allow concealed carry firearms for students.
A News5 public records request revealed no such permits for holding a concealed carry weapon had been submitted for the 2023-2024 school year in Alpine Village. That’s the residence hall complex where a student is suspected of shooting and killing two people, including his roommate, on Feb. 16.
UCCS policy, along with all of the University of Colorado System, grants students with a valid and active concealed carry permit to have a handgun on their person while on campus. This stems from a 2012 Colorado Supreme Court decision, which ruled the Colorado Concealed Carry Act applies to campuses at public universities.
Guns are prohibited in residence halls at UCCS, with the exception of Alpine Village, which is an upperclassmen apartment complex on campus.
25-year-old Nicholas Jordan is accused of killing Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Montgomery, 26, inside their dorm room at the Crestone House, part of Alpine Village, just before 6 a.m. on Feb. 16.
Colorado Springs police confirmed Jordan and Knopp were roommates. It remains unclear how Mongtomery knew the two.
A motive or what led to the shooting remain unclear at this time. Jordan is due back in court Friday morning. He’s charged with two counts of first degree murder and is being held on a $5 million bond.
According to the UCCS Housing Contract, which is publicly available online, Alpine Village students must provide a copy of their permit to the residence hall director and obtain written consent from their roommates in order to conceal carry or store a handgun in the room.
Since no permits were submitted for this academic school year, suspect Nicholas Jordan was in violation of the university policy. As a result, it’s also possible Samuel Knopp, his roommate and one of the two victims, was unaware Jordan had a firearm.
The housing contract states that students who violate the “WEAPONS/FIREARMS” clause may have their contract immediately terminated.
If the student’s concealed carry permit is revoked, expired, or not renewed, university policy stipulates the handgun must immediately be removed from the premises and either be kept locked in the student’s vehicle, kept in a locked room safe provided by UCCS, or checked in and out through the Department of Public Safety.
The News5 Investigates team previously reported on a 2021 Colorado state law that gives governing bodies of higher education in the state the power to enact stricter gun laws from the state. The CU Board of Regents has not passed any changes to the weapons policy since the law went into effect.
Alasyn Zimmerman contributed to this report.
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Email Senior Reporter Brett Forrest at brett.forrest@koaa.com. Follow @brettforrestTVon X and Brett Forrest News on Facebook.
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