The Board of Governors asked leaders at both schools in December to draft a proposed ban, following a request by Ft. Collins teachers in November of 2008 that administrators consider such a ban.

Then Friday, an instructor at the University of Alabama, Huntsville allegedly opened fire, killing three professors and wounding three others.

“You know we just think we’re very fortunate that we haven’t ever had such a horrible incident on this campus,” said Brad Bohlander, spokesman for the Ft. Collins campus. “I feel safe coming to work, absolutely. We do have a good police force, that I think can respond very quickly should such an incident happen.”

The president of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, Dudley Brown, told TheDenverChannel.com on Monday that he expected the weapons ban would be adopted.

But that doesn’t mean the fight is over, Brown said.

“You know there’s a saying that says that, ‘When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.’ And uh, if there was a concealed-carry permit holder nearby, you know, it’s possible that a couple lives might’ve been saved,” said Tim Campbell, a Ft. Collins senior majoring in Applied Computing Technology.

An employee of RMGO and a member of Students For Concealed Carry On Campus, Campbell views the Alabama tragedy in a different light.

“That definitely makes our argument stronger, I believe,” Campbell said, while conceding the ban is likely. “I believe it’s a done deal. This is just to let the administration know that this is something that we really believe in and is really important to us. We believe in the right to self-defense. And that’s really what this is all about.”

Campbell will bring a stack of printed, electronic petitioners numbering “around 1,300” to the Ft. Collins administration building Friday.

The BOG meets Tuesday, Feb 23, at CSU Pueblo and will take public comment first, at 8 a.m., Bohlander said.

They have several options, including adoption of the proposals and requesting more information or clarification, Bohlander said.

So far, Bohlander said, other than Utah, Ft. Collins researchers believe the only other similar-sized institution without a current weapons ban is Michigan State University.

In December, a spokesman for the BOG told TheDenverChannel.com that if a weapons ban were enacted it would likely take effect during the current school year.