Derek Page
News Assistant
Old Dominion University administrators drafted a regulation to be considered by the Board of Visitors in Dec. 2011, regarding the possession of concealed weapons on campus.
The board approved, on Jan. 12, the regulation to prohibit anyone from bringing a gun to campus, with the exception of law enforcement officers.
“I don’t think having a concealed weapon on your person is a viable solution to ensure ones safety, but everyone has the right to bear arms,” said Old Dominion student Eric Ross. “If I were a professor and I knew some students may be carrying weapons, I think it would be harder to do my job.”
The issue became a great concern last year among gun-rights groups and gun-control groups alike.
The Virginia Citizens Defense League and the ODU College Republicans organized a gun-rights demonstration on Kaufman mall in response to the proposed ban on Nov. 1, 2011. In opposition, the Virginia Center for Public Safety and the ODU Young Democrats demonstrated simultaneously their position for gun-control.
Similar regulations were approved in Sept. 2008, prohibiting students, employees, volunteers and invitees from carrying firearms, or other self-defense weapons, on campus. However, the policy didn’t apply to conceal carry permit holders.
According to this regulation, those with a permit are not allowed to possess firearms. Other weapons bans include knives with blades that exceed three inches, straight razors, stun guns or any other self-defense weapons. However, the weapons ban still allows people to carry mace.
“I am personally more comfortable in a gun free environment, so I’m glad they passed this regulation. No one needs to be walking around on campus with concealed firearms. Allowing that is just putting us one step closer to a Virginia Tech situation,” said senior David Roffman.
The new regulation was considered in response to a nonbinding opinion in July by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. His opinion considered the existing policy, which hampers people with concealed handgun permits from carrying a firearm while on campus, not enforceable.
Cuccinelli argued in a written response to Republican state Senator Emmett Hanger, that universities lack the authority to supplant the legal rights of permit holders by restricting people from openly carrying weapons.
Old Dominion will be following an identical model for regulation to that of George Mason University. The difference between a regulation and a policy, according to Cuccinelli, is that a regulation has the force of law.
Photo by Binh Dong
