ODU's Board of Visitors Bans Guns on Campus

My alma mater, George Mason University, recently passed regulations that banned guns on campus. I have to admit, I was extreme proud to be a GMU alumn when this rule passed because colleges should be a place that promote a peaceful environment for learning.

Throughout my entire time as a student at Mason, I never saw any violence. Perhaps some of the most contentious times were when protesters for various causes would stage a protest in the main square when students were walking to and from class. As someone involved in politics and knowledgeable about the issues, I would frequently be one of those students who stepped up to challenge the conservative protesters. Crowds would inevitably gather to watch the exchange, but nobody ever expected violence to erupt.

If concealed weapons were allowed on campus, however, there would be a new element to those protests -- or any argument that took place on campus. You'd never know when there could be an extremist with a concealed weapon taking part in a protest or if an angry student was carrying a weapon when challenging a grade they received. The added element of never knowing who was carrying a gun would therefore bring an element of fear to a campus that was previously peaceful and encouraged an exchange of ideas.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his buddies in the gun lobby, however, apparently don't understand the fear that concealed weapons would bring to campus -- not to mention the escalating chance for violence. Cuccinelli even called the attempt to keep college campuses gun free "crazy."

So it's with all that in mind that I'm very pleased to see ODU has once again shown the Attorney General that college campuses believe in putting safety before partisan politics. The Board of Visitors voted yesterday to follow in Mason's footsteps by passing a similar rule banning guns on campus.

The new regulation, which was approved in a voice vote with no discussion, also bans a variety of other weapons, including knives with blades larger than 3 inches, blackjacks, machetes, straight razors, stun guns, and nunchucks or other fighting weapons.

However, the weapons ban, based on similar rules adopted by George Mason University, does not stop visitors from carrying Mace.

I imagine Cuccinelli will be talking soon about how "crazy" it is to protect students from gun violence, but I am certainly glad to see we're creating an environment where students can learn without having to worry about who is carrying a concealed weapon. Being able to exchange ideas in a safe environment made my college experience much more valuable and I imagine it will be the same for thousands of other students on Virginia's college campuses.