Gov. Sam Brownback said Wednesday he isn’t inclined to support changes to the state’s concealed weapons law for public universities, a signal to lawmakers they will have to gather veto-proof majorities to modify the policy.

Kansas public colleges and universities must begin allowing concealed weapons on campus beginning July 1, as part of a law passed in 2013 that Brownback signed.

Opponents of the provision have hoped the new Legislature, with more moderate Republicans and Democrats, may be able to halt or delay its implementation.

"I’m not inclined to think about that," Brownback said. "I support Second Amendment rights, it’s a constitutional right that people have. I think people are trying to put in appropriate measures to accompany it, but I’ve been a long and consistent supporter of Second Amendment rights and I’m not rethinking my support for the Second Amendment."

Brownback’s comment to reporters comes after the Board of Regents approved policies for the state’s public universities this month. While the law allows for guns to be kept out of buildings with security measures such as metal detectors and guards, the cost will means guns will be allowed in most campus areas.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said gathering enough votes for a veto override in the current political environment would prove unrealistic. Overriding a veto takes two-thirds votes in both the House and Senate.

"I do believe that public policy in Kansas should be that we let each university make the policy in terms of whether they allow weapons on campus or not," Hensley said. "The major problem we’ve got on college campuses is there’s an age differential as to who can carry and who can’t."

Under the law, individuals 21 and older can carry weapons.

Surveys of campuses found widespread opposition to the law. A survey of students and faculty at universities across the state by the Fort Hays State University Docking Institute of Public Affairs found that 70 percent don’t want handguns allowed inside campus buildings. More than 80 percent of respondents said they would feel less safe if students were allowed to carry concealed handguns on campus.

Students and faculty at the state’s universities have led efforts to oppose the law as it draws closer. Opponents often focus on the potential danger of firearms, and the volatility they introduce into the college environment, already marked at times by high emotions.

A resolution passed this month by the University of Kansas’ University Senate condemned the policy. Joe Harrington, an English professor who is president of the University Senate, told The Associated Press that Brownback’s comments are "disappointing."

"Obviously, this is something that people at the local level, at the campus level, don’t want and that’s being imposed upon us by the state," Harrington said.

Supporters of the law, such as Brownback, frequently frame their support in terms of rights. The right to keep and bear arms extends to campus, they argue.

The Kansas State Rifle Association has said it "will fight to keep it so our students, campus guests, and faculty are not left defenseless and able to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights."

Allowing concealed weapons on campus represents just one provision in a series of bills passed in recent years liberalizing the state’s gun laws. Kansas now allows individuals to carry concealed weapons without a permit and the accompanying training. And public workers can now carry concealed weapons on the job as of July.