Posted on 04/16/2007 6:11:56 PM PDT by doug from upland
Gun bill gets shot down by panel HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee. By Greg Esposito 381-1675
A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.
House Bill 1572 didn't get through the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage, the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.
The bill was proposed by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, on behalf of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Gilbert was unavailable Monday and spokesman Gary Frink would not comment on the bill's defeat other than to say the issue was dead for this General Assembly session.
Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."
Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, would not comment Monday because he was not part of the subcommittee that discussed the bill.
Most universities in Virginia require students and employees, other than police, to check their guns with police or campus security upon entering campus. The legislation was designed to prohibit public universities from making "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit ... from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun."
The legislation allowed for exceptions for participants in athletic events, storage of guns in residence halls and military training programs.
Last spring a Virginia Tech student was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class, despite having a concealed handgun permit. Some gun owners questioned the university's authority, while the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police came out against the presence of guns on campus.
In June, Tech's governing board approved a violence prevention policy reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.
Ruger .45 Bump.
Wow,in light of todays events this certainly an article that hits hard !!!
http://www.judicial.vt.edu/upsl.php#weapons
Section V.W. - Weapons
Unauthorized possession, storage, or control of firearms and weapons on university property is prohibited, including storing weapons in vehicles on campus as well as in the residence halls. (Note: organizational weapons of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, approved by the commandant, are not prohibited by this policy.)
Firearms are defined as any gun, rifle, pistol, or handgun designed to fire bullets, BBs, pellets, or shots (including paint balls), regardless of the propellant used. Other weapons are defined as any instrument of combat or any object not designed as an instrument of combat but carried for the purpose of inflicting or threatening bodily injury. Examples include but are not limited to knives with fixed blades or pocket knives with blades longer than 4 inches, razors, metal knuckles, blackjacks, hatchets, bows and arrows, nun chukkas, foils, or any explosive or incendiary device. Possession of realistic replicas of weapons on campus is prohibited. Students who store weapons in residence hall rooms, who brandish weapons, or who use a weapon in a reckless manner may face disciplinary action, which may include suspension or dismissal from the university.
Exceptions to possessing weapons may be made in the case of university functions or activities and for educational exhibitions or displays. Such exceptions will be subject to authorization by the Virginia Tech Police. This policy does not prohibit the possession of firearms by persons, such as law enforcement officers, who are authorized by law to do so in the performance of their duties. A weapons storage program is available. Interested persons should contact the Virginia Tech Police (Sterrett Facilities Complex, 231-6411.
Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. “I’m sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly’s actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.”
Anymore need be said?
sheep.
I remember being in college and I had a 4inch Colt King Cobra in my backpack. I knew of other former military and professors that carried as well. We especially carried during finals month.
Then again...I attended a small West Texas University.
The only silver lining...
Every VT student with a CCP will now have standing to sue for a violation of their civil rights.
Sincerely,
Mary Carpenter
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7CCB40F421ED4819
http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/2nd_Amend/deaths_in_merced.htm
Isn't that special.
They were Miss America contestants?
Our instituitions of higher learning are forgetting the fact that its all useless in the case of protecting your life.
My son is several grades ahead of his fellow students in Jr. High, when he graduates I am getting him directly into a military instituition, at least he can learn something about situations like this.
And I may even take him out of school right now, he is 13, and if I can will find a more secure type of school, either they allow armed teachers or definate real security instead of holding hands and having a discussion.
They should be arrested.
Exactly, they are sheep and don’t understand the mentality of wolves. Those students should sue the Government of Virginia and VT for not allowing them to have their 2nd Amendment rights on campus. The pro Constitution Americans among us need to hit hard that gun free campus’s= easy pickings for wolves. We need to grab this issue hard before the anti’s and MSM try to spin it their way.
Sarah Brady was celebrating today and emailing Diane Feinstein and Chucky Schumer -
They did not pull the trigger themselves
They told the Chi-Com killer where he could kill easily
- Ladies if you do not have a handgun now you better get one and learn how to use it
Diane Feinstein & Chucky Schumer both have carry permits and handguns and also illegally carry their handguns in Washington DC and in the Senate Office Building
Just like (Deviate-VA) Senator James Webb did until his little boyfriend staffer got caught sneaking in a loaded handgun and two full spare ammo magazines
Sounds like VT in an attempt to out lib the rest may have prevented some people’s option to defend themselves.
Agreed. This country is churning out Frenchman. I can’t believe that there was not one armed student or faculty member there.
I am a Christian and I know my right to protect myself comes from God. I refuse to leave myself or my family unprotected.
APRIL 13, 2005 -— http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/xp-21770
Virginia Tech’s ban on guns may draw legal fire
Some people question whether the university has the authority to ban the carrying of firearms. How about you?
By Kevin Miller
BLACKSBURG - Virginia Tech’s recent action against a student caught carrying a gun to class could draw unwanted attention from groups already angry about firearms restrictions on public college campuses.
University officials confirmed that, earlier this semester, campus police approached a student found to be carrying a concealed handgun to class. The unnamed student was not charged with any crimes because he holds a state-issued permit allowing him to carry a concealed gun. But the student could face disciplinary action from the university for violating its policy prohibiting “unauthorized possession, storage or control” of firearms on campus.
Tech spokesman Larry Hincker declined to release the student’s name or specifics of the incident, citing rules protecting student confidentiality. But Hincker said Tech’s ban on guns dates back several decades.
Students who violate the school policy could be called before the university’s internal judicial affairs system, which has wide discretion in handing down penalties ranging from a reprimand to expulsion.
“I think it’s fair to say that we believe guns don’t belong in the classroom,” Hincker said. “In an academic environment, we believe you should be free from fear.”
Most public colleges in Virginia ban or restrict guns on campus. But the root of that authority is murky, according to some observers.
Virginia law already prohibits students or visitors from carrying guns onto the grounds of public and private K-12 schools. The state also prohibits concealed weapons in courthouses, places of worship during a service, jails and on any private property where the owner has posted a “no guns” notice. State employees are barred from possessing guns while at work unless needed for their job.
But Virginia code is silent on guns and public colleges. And two bills seeking to give college governing boards the authority to regulate firearms on campus died in committee during this year’s General Assembly session.
David Briggman, a resident of Keezletown in Rockingham County, has made it his personal mission to challenge state colleges’ authority to enact tougher gun restrictions than the state.
Briggman, who is a former police officer, said he forced Blue Ridge Community College to allow him to carry a gun onto campus while a student. And he sued James Madison University over its ban on concealed weapons even among permit holders. While JMU’s policy still stands, Briggman said he has been told by campus police officials that they will not arrest visitors who carry a gun legally.
“It’s extremely easy to challenge university policy by looking at ... whether they are given the statutory authority to regulate firearms on campus, and of course, they’re not,” Briggman said Tuesday.
Hincker, meanwhile, said it is not unusual for colleges to have more restrictive policies than the state. As an example, Hincker said certain chemicals and explosives that are legal on the outside are prohibited in the classroom or in dormitories for safety reasons.
“We think we have the right to adhere to and enforce that policy because, in the end, we think it’s a common-sense policy for the protection of students, staff and faculty as well as guests and visitors,” Hincker said.
Virginia Tech also has the backing of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. In a policy position paper dated April 1, association executive director Dana Schrad wrote that the presence of guns on college campuses “adds a dangerous element to an environment in which alcohol is a compounding factor.” Students should not have to be concerned about guns on campus, Schrad wrote.
“The excellent reputation of Virginia’s colleges and universities depends in part on the public’s belief that they are sending their college-age children to safe environments,” the policy paper reads.
At least one attorney who represents college students would like to see the concealed-carry permit issue clarified.
John Robertson, the Student Legal Services attorney at Tech, said he’s heard differing interpretations of the policy at Tech. Robertson, whose position is funded through the Student Government Association’s budget, does not represent students in disputes with the university but offers free legal advice and services to students on civil and criminal matters.
Robertson said he would like to see either a court or the state Attorney General’s Office resolve the matter. As for a university’s refusal to honor a concealed-carry permit, Robertson added: “I am dubious that one particular arm of the state can do so without a particular statute.”
Hincker acknowledged that the concealed guns issue had “never been tested” and that the university could be opening itself up to legal action.
“But we stand by the policy unequivocally,” Hincker said.
Good post!
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