Blue Ridge Community College Forced to Ban Firearms on Campus

The Staunton News Leader reported Friday that thanks to action taken by the state governing board of Virginia's community college system, Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) will no longer be able to allow students with concealed handgun permits (CHPs) to carry on campus.  BRCC is the only public college or university that allowed it's students to carry while on campus.

The move comes after the state board for the community college system approved a statewide guideline recommending a ban in September, college spokeswoman Bridget Baylor said Friday.

The board took action after Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote in a July legal advisory opinion that university policies couldn’t apply to people with CHPs because they did not have the force of law.  He did however write that a regulation is enforceable because it undergoes a more formal process and must be approved by a university’s governing body through the Virginia Register Act.  All of the state's public colleges and universitities have set about replacing their policies with regulations.

Interestingly enough, the community college spokesman said this:

Baylor said the college has not had any problems with students or staff discharging guns or threatening people with weapons. Advocates for allowing students and teachers to carry weapons into school often cite Blue Ridge as an example to follow.

Maybe that was the real problem; there was a perfect example in Virginia of how permit holders are no threat to faculty and students.