Back in 2001, National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia where he appeared on Jerry Falwell’s television program and presented him with a lifetime membership to the National Rifle Association.
So presumably the decision by Liberty University’s board of trustees not to allow students to carry concealed weapons on campus won’t sit well with them, considering that the NRA brags that it “has been at the forefront in securing the rights of law-abiding Americans to carry concealed handguns for personal protection.”
But apparently the board, students, and faculty were less concerned about these “rights” than they were about the prospect of having to share dorms, classrooms, and a campus with people “packing heat”:
Board members, at Liberty for a regularly scheduled meeting, decided to continue to not allow people with concealed handgun permits to carry weapons on campus.
Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. had brought the matter before the board after members of Liberty’s chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus requested a change in policy.
“The feeling was that, unlike most private property owners, we have our own police force,” Falwell said after the meeting. “So the decision was made, since crime has not really been a problem at LU, not to make any changes to the policy at this time.
“The board did express a willingness to look at, especially faculty and staff being allowed to carry concealed weapons in the future, should they determine that it was needed for enhanced security.”
Currently, the university does not allow those with concealed weapons permits to carry a gun on campus.
…
Falwell said the board considered both that perspective and opinions from other students and faculty.
“We’ve received a lot of feedback, and I’d say the majority of the community probably does not support (concealed carry on campus),” Falwell said. “The ones who do support it are very, very committed. And the ones who are against it feel just as strongly.”
He said those against allowing concealed carry “probably outnumber those who do two-to-one.”
“Some of the faculty had commented that they couldn’t imagine anything worse than students packing heat while they were handing out grades,” Falwell said.
Presumably, had this sort of decision been reached by some “liberal” university, the Right would be up in arms and blasting the school for violating the precious second-amendment rights of its students … but since it happened at Liberty, nobody seems to be saying anything at all.
