CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance a bill that would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring firearms on state college and university campuses.
The bill strictly prohibits the open carry of a firearm on a college or university campus, and allows institutions of higher learning to implement exceptions. It also prohibits people from bringing guns into areas with a capacity of more than 1,000 spectators — stadiums for football games, for example — or to on-campus daycare centers.
Similar legislation has already passed in 11 other states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas and Oregon.
Art Thomm, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, told lawmakers the shooting at Michigan State is exactly why people with concealed carry permits should be permitted to have guns on campus. The Michigan shooting was perpetrated in an area where guns are not allowed by a person who was not connected with the university and obtained the weapon illegally, he said.
“Our loved ones deserve the right to defend themselves from a deadly attack in a gun-free zone without having to make the choice of employment, education or their life,” he said.
Before voting to advance the bill, supporter Republican Del. Mike Honaker spoke about his experience responding to the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech as a former Virginia State Police officer. With two other officers, the Marine Corps veteran was responsible for making half of the death notifications to the 32 families who lost loved ones.
“I know we have to be careful about this issue,” he said. “But there’s no way that I, as someone who has lived through this and seen it with my own eyes, could forbid another free law-abiding American citizen from carrying a firearm and retaining the ability and the capacity to defend yourself or others, God forbid they ever be put in a position to do it.”
The bill would allow exceptions in rooms where a student or employee disciplinary proceeding is being held, and says guns can be restricted in specifically designated areas where patient care or mental health counseling is being provided.
Schools would be permitted to regulate firearms in residence halls, but not in common areas, including lounges, dining areas and study areas. The bill requires colleges and universities to provide either a secure location for storage of a pistol or revolver in at least one on-campus residence hall — or to make safes available in residence rooms, which could come with a fee.