West Virginia is making strides in protection of Second Amendment rights with their recent approval of a bill that allows concealed carry holders on college campuses.
This bill can serve as an invaluable protection to the vulnerable population who attend college and could be victim of gun violence, ensuring the safety of students.
Daily caller reports, the West Virginia Legislature voted Tuesday to allow concealed carry holders to carry firearms on the campuses of state colleges and universities.
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed Senate Bill 10, backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), 84-13, and will be forwarded to Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice for signature. According to the legislation, the Campus Self Defense Act will override the authority of the Higher Education Policy Commission, the Council for Community and Technical College Education, and the institutional boards of governors to prohibit concealed carry holders from possessing firearms on campus if it is signed.
While this law is a literal life saver for those students on campus, not everyone is looking at it the same way.
If the bill is signed by the West Virginia governor it will join a growing list of other states that allow students to carry while on college grounds.
Fox news reports, West Virginia will become the 12th state in the country to enact such legislation if Republican Gov. Jim Justice signs it into law. Other states including Arkansas, Georgia, and Kansas have passed similar laws. West Virginia is currently one of 20 other states that have no laws on the books preventing concealed carry holders from carrying on college campuses.
Republican Delegate Mike Honaker, a former Virginia State Police officer who responded to the tragic 2007 Virginia Tech campus shooting, supports the bill.
In a statement the NRA released they had this to say about the new law that will hopefully be signed “The National Rifle Association applauds the West Virginia Legislature’s passage of NRA-backed campus carry, There is no reason why any adult who is deemed mature enough to defend his or her country at war should not be entrusted to defend themselves and others on campus. And there is no reason an adult who is allowed to carry in other parts of the state can’t be trusted when on campus,”
As gun advocacy has increased in popularity, it appears that protection for gun rights is the new norm, which would make the Founding Fathers proud. It is important for every school campus to allow students the freedom to defend themselves with firearms if necessary, and West Virginia has taken a step in the right direction towards protection of Second Amendment rights– a movement that should continue if we want to see an end to gun violence.
Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.
