i dont see how the 1st amendment applies to university bans on guns. any business or institution can ban carrying of firearms as sad as that is. its a matter of personal choice. we also have the choice of consumer and can choose not to frequent businesses that ban the carrying of firearms. of course if all competitors choose to ban guns there is no choice and the only option is to lobby and mass protest.
Ok, WSU, UW, EWU, WWU all the community colleges are all state owned and controlled entities. The State constitution and laws for governmental entities (as well as the federal law, Constitution) control all of the things that the Board of Regents can do, and cannot do. The board of regents do not have the approval of the legislature, or the state constitution to suppress 1st amendment rights, or 2A rights, though they try.
Now they have stepped into a real hornets nest. This coach is trying to suppress the football teams first amendment (and state Constitution Article 1 section 5 rights through fiat, as a means of punishment for poor performance.
For any that have not read out A1S5: "SECTION 5 FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Every person may freely speak, write and publish on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right."
Compare that to our A1S24: "SECTION 24 RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired...."
http://www.leg.wa.gov/LawsAndAgencyRules/Pages/constitution.aspx
The arguments used to suppress the freedom of speech, and the outcome of those arguments will be should be directly applicable to the argument to the fact that the BoR cannot restrict the carry of weapons on government owned property...no matter what the BoR thinks. I would really like to see UW taken to court for 2A/A1S24 violation...it would serve that BoR right after hiring that anti-gun yahoo from Utah, Young.