MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The so-called ‘Campus Carry’ Bill is heading to the Senate after attempts to table it.
The House of Delegates voted 59-41 to pass the bill Wednesday. HB 2519 would allow, with specified exceptions, people with concealed carry permits to carry pistols and revolvers on college campuses.
The bill carves out 12 exceptions to carrying on campus.
Travis Bishop is a Berkeley County business owner with 16 years of firearms retail sales experience. He sees the Campus Carry as a natural
extension of gun rights.
“You know, here again, we’re back to the whole responsible citizen having the right to protect one’s self. What difference is it whether you’re on a campus or out in public – it’s the same thing. We’re responsible gun owners.”
Critics of the law say it encourages guns on campuses where young adults sometimes engage in risky behaviors, including consuming alcohol and drugs. Bishop says responsible gun owners, including 18-year-olds, respect their guns:
“Again, if you look at statistics, they’re responsible for the most part, because there’s a certain sense of, number one, the ownership of that firearm, and you respect that firearm.”
Bishop points out some mass shooters look to unprotected populations like schools as soft targets. He says a potential shooter would think twice about shooting up a college where people might be armed.
Story by WEPM’s Marsha Chwalik