Gun bill gets shot down by panel, would have allowed handguns on college campuses

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Desertdog

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Hand guns is something the VA Tech students may have found useful for self protection.

Gun bill gets shot down by panel
HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee.
By Greg Esposito
381-1675
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-50658

A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.

House Bill 1572 didn't get through the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage, the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.

The bill was proposed by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, on behalf of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Gilbert was unavailable Monday and spokesman Gary Frink would not comment on the bill's defeat other than to say the issue was dead for this General Assembly session.

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christiansburg, would not comment Monday because he was not part of the subcommittee that discussed the bill.

Most universities in Virginia require students and employees, other than police, to check their guns with police or campus security upon entering campus. The legislation was designed to prohibit public universities from making "rules or regulations limiting or abridging the ability of a student who possesses a valid concealed handgun permit ... from lawfully carrying a concealed handgun."

The legislation allowed for exceptions for participants in athletic events, storage of guns in residence halls and military training programs.

Last spring a Virginia Tech student was disciplined for bringing a handgun to class, despite having a concealed handgun permit. Some gun owners questioned the university's authority, while the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police came out against the presence of guns on campus.

In June, Tech's governing board approved a violence prevention policy reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.
 
How great would have it been if that passed and nobody lost their life at VT
 
This is so horrible. The idiots who canned this bill should be arrested for criminal negligence!

Well not really, but I sure wish something could be done. I have graduated recently from my College, and live a stone's throw away, and many of my friends have not graduated yet, so I spend a good portion of my time on campus, and I am still a member of some student-run clubs. I carry on campus every time, thanks to a loophole, that allows me to carry on campus if I am not a student. How great is that? Perfectly legal for someone to tote guns onto campus who potentially does not belong there, but those who spend every day there must be defenseless or face expulsion.

Needless to say my friends and I always feel safe when we head to campus together. Especially with my new XD45.
 
My prayers for the families of the dead and wounded, as well as the victims. And a pox on the legislators for their ignorance of reality.
 
The anti-gun forces have repeatedly said they would do anything to prevent pro-gun bills from passing. Does "anything" include mass murder?

Was the killer described as "looking dazed" and "having a slight smile on his face." And did he commit suicide?

Jim
 
Questions I would like answered.

Did the gunman obtain his firearms legally? FFL purchase, that is.

How many of the victims had CCWs, but had their firearms at home, or in their cars, due to it being a "Gun Free Zone."
 
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