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.
