LYNCHBURG Va. — Liberty University’s Board of Trustees has loosened the school’s weapons policy to allow firearms inside all campus facilities except dormitories.
The university previously allowed guns on campus but not inside buildings. The revised policy, which was unanimously approved by the board, went into effect March 22.
“I think it’s good that Liberty is a little more open than some schools, and I think it’ll continue to create a higher level of security on campus than what was found at Virginia Tech” during the time of the fatal shootings in 2007, Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. told The News & Advance.
“I think it’s a positive thing for security that there’s at least a chance that somebody responsible will be carrying a firearm when something like that happens.”
People who want to carry a concealed weapon on campus must apply with the Liberty University Police Department. It’s unclear how many people have permission to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus spokesman John Johnson said more guns are not the answer to gun violence.
“A student with a concealed weapon is unlikely to prevent a mass shooting or crime. On the other hand, the unintended consequences of gun possession by students and others a shooting during an argument or dispute, attempted suicide, unintentional shooting, etc. are real and make the college campus more dangerous every hour of every day,” Johnson told the newspaper.
