West Virginia lawmakers have approved a bill that would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring firearms on state college and university campuses.
that killed three people and wounded five others. The tragedy loomed over West Virginia's Capitol as lawmakers gathered to listen to the public hearing.“We don’t need more guns to exacerbate that. This bill is like throwing kerosene on the wildfire, and it is appalling that we even need to say that while there’s still blood on the ground at Michigan State,” Bowen said.
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.
Bella Mitchell, a senior at West Virginia University and a member of the Student Government Association, said the prospect of having guns allowed on campus “fosters an environment of mistrust, uncertainty and anxiety.
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.
“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.”
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