Allow Licensed Concealed Carry at Liberty University

In attempt to provide the students, faculty and staff members at Liberty University with the safest possible environment to work and study, and in observation of the following facts, we the undersigned respectfully request an amendment to the current firearms restriction on campus.

Liberty University prides itself in not adhering to "political correctness" and is obligated to consider the facts instead of simply adhering to politically popular policies.

While LUPD provides an excellent security force on campus, they cannot possibly protect everyone. Liberty's campus crime report shows evidence of this in that there were 4 forcible sex offenses last year on campus. Liberty University also stands as a potential target for acts of violence by those with an irrational hatred for what the University stands for.

The current rules prohibiting firearms on campus only deter the honorable. Those intending to commit acts of violence would have no concern for breaking a university rule.

The state of Virginia along with 39 other US States allows licensed citizens to lawfully carry concealed handguns. No state has ever revoked this permission to their citizens once it has been granted and crime rates have consistently dropped in states where it has been adopted*.

The procedures for obtaining a license to carry a concealed handgun involve extensive background checks at the federal, state and local levels as well as mandatory training in the safe use of firearms.

Many students, faculty and staff members already have licenses recognized by the state of Virginia to carry a concealed handgun and do so on a regular basis. They safely and responsibly go about their daily lives carrying a handgun for personal protection and do so in a peaceful and discrete manner. But currently they are forced to abandon their daily routine when entering onto University property.

There are other universities around the country that allow state licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on campus and have not experienced any negative consequences but instead enjoy remarkably low crime rates**, likely a result of the natural deterrence to criminals provided by the knowledge of potentially armed victims.

We the undersigned, appeal to the Liberty University Board of Trustees to amend the current firearms prohibition on campus with an exemption allowing concealed handguns to be lawfully carried by those with concealed handgun licenses recognized by the state of Virginia.

Let us also make it clear what we are not asking for: We are not asking that anyone be allowed to carry a concealed handgun on University property who is not already permitted by the state to do so elsewhere. Anyone who would be allowed under our proposed amendment to carry a concealed handgun on university property is already eligible to own, possess, and carry a concealed handgun elsewhere. This makes any discussion of suicide rates among college students, the responsibility or maturity of students or any similar topic irrelevant because this rule and it's amendment has no affect on who is allowed to possesses or carry a firearm, only who is allowed to do so on university property. Those affected by this rule are already proving themselves to be responsible citizens, even to the point that the state of Virginia allows these armed citizens into the secure areas of the state capital building.

We also are not suggesting that armed citizens on campus would take the place of LUPD or other professional security forces. Concealed handgun license holders are trained to use a firearm as a last resort and to move away from danger as quickly as possible. Police are necessary as they are trained to move into dangerous situations to diffuse them. However, when police cannot make it in time the presence of an armed victim can mean the difference between life and death. Furthermore, the deterrent effect of legal concealed carry greatly reduces the risk of a violent situation ever occurring.

We believe that this proposed amendment is the most effective method of improving campus security available and we petition the Board of Trustees to implement this proposal as quickly as possible.


* "Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns," John Lott and David Mustard, Journal of Legal Studies (v.26, no.1, pages 1-68, January 1997); "An Analysis of the Arrest Rate of Texas Concealed Handgun License Holders as Compared to the Arrest Rate of the Entire Texas Population," William E. Sturdevant, September 1, 2000; Florida Department of Justice statistics, 1998; Florida Department of State, "Concealed Weapons/Firearms License Statistical Report," 1998; Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Census Bureau, reported in San Antonio Express-News, September 2000; Texas Department of Corrections data, 1996-2000, compiled by the Texas State Rifle Association

** Blue Ridge Community College Crime report, available at http://www.brcc.edu/student/right/incident.htm,shows no violent crime or weapons offenses. Brigham Young University's crime report avaliable at http://police.byu.edu/images/stories/police/files/2007_Campus_Security_Report.pdf, a campus of over 30,000 full time students, shows only two instances of violence (aggravated assault) and no weapons offenses.