Just two months after the University passed a regulation prohibiting anyone from carrying guns on Grounds, a Virginia lawmaker reintroduced a bill last week which would undermine that regulation by allowing faculty to carry guns with concealed carry permits on college campuses.
Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, proposed the bill in 2008 in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings after a guard and a professor at George Mason University requested that he put more guns in the hands of trustworthy people on campus.
"It was a professor who barred the door to save the lives of his students," Marshall said. Should his bill become law, Marshall added that the individuals carrying the guns would "have to do ... a criminal background check and a competency check."
But the bill faces stiff opposition from top leaders in the state government. Gov. Bob McDonnell told The Roanoke Times earlier this month that "he would not be inclined to support that kind of legislation." Marshall said House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell had acted to block this legislation from coming up for votes in committee or on the floor in the past.
University spokesperson Carol Wood said in an email that the "proposed legislation conflicts with our regulation, which we believe demonstrates the university's commitment to a safe community."
"I certainly would not like to see guns being carried on Grounds," Board of Visitors member Alan Diamonstein said. "We were unanimous in our decision because we were trying to do as much as we could to make sure that our Grounds were a safe place."
Marshall said he believes the current policy of not allowing concealed carry permits on campus is detrimental to student safety.
The current University regulation, which was approved by the Board in November, prohibits "the possession, storage or use of any weapon by the general public or visitors, except a law-enforcement officer, on University property."
The University chief of police may grant exceptions to the regulation for a variety of reasons.
Wood said the regulation upholds a long-standing University policy and was only necessary after Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued an opinion in July which deemed the policy "unenforceable".
"The University's regulation is consistent with both its prior policy and the Virginia Supreme Court's guidance in the DiGiacinto case," Wood said. In DiGiacinto v. The Rector and Visitors of George Mason University, the high court upheld a circuit court ruling which allowed universities in Virginia to ban all guns, including those carried by outside visitors with permits, on their campuses.
Marshall said Virginia has allowed concealed carry permits for some time, so anyone who has been to a movie theater or shopping mall in the state has "been near someone who has a concealed carry permit."
The bill has been referred to the Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety.
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