North Florida Coed Wins Second Amendment Victory

Investor's Business Daily ^ | December 13, 2013 | IBD Editorials

[raptor22]

Second Amendment: A Florida appeals court rules that colleges can't ban students from having guns on campus for self-protection, bringing us one step closer to the day schools are predator-free, not-gun-free zones.

Alexandria Lainez won't be able to carry her firearm around campus in her purse or book bag, but she can keep it in her car parked on campus, available for self-protection, or in case a madman decides to shoot up the University of North Florida.

Florida's 1st Court of Appeals ruled that the school was violating a 2011 state law that pre-empted the regulation of guns by local governments and state agencies. The court said that while a university can restrict lawful activities, such as smoking and drinking, that power does not extend to firearms.

"Restricting recreational activities is a far cry from restricting a fundamental, constitutional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense," wrote Judge Clay Roberts in an opinion that had the support of a majority of the 15 judges who make up the court.

"If universities can regulate away a Second Amendment right, why not a First Amendment one? Or one protected by the Fourth or Fifth Amendment? The point is rhetorical, but nonetheless meaningful because campus authority unchecked can go astray of constitutional norms," Scott Makar, another judge on the court, wrote.

The case was brought by Florida Carry Inc. and Lainez. It was built around her ability to store a gun in her vehicle while on campus, where she could access it for self-defense on her commute to and from school.

[CodeToad]

Very nice win for her. Legal battles are never easy, much less fighting city hall like that.