ODU approves campus gun ban

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Old Dominion University has approved a regulation that prohibits everyone except law enforcement officers from bringing a gun to campus buildings or events.

The regulation was approved at the Board of Visitors' annual retreat, according to ODU spokesperson Jennifer Mullen Collins.

ODU has always banned guns on campus, but Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli argued that such policies did not apply to campus visitors. ODU and most other college and universities have banned weapons on campuses for years, but in July Cuccinelli said, in a non binding opinion, that those policies could not be enforced under law without a special regulation approved by their governing boards.

ODU administrators drafted a regulation in December, but the board tabled the vote until its annual retreat, on Thursday. The board passed the draft, which will now ban anyone, even those with concealed carry permits from bringing a weapon on campus. Only law enforcement is exempt from the regulation.

In a statement, Rector David Bernd, said, "The Board of Visitors agreed that the university's long-standing policy regarding weapons on campus should remain, and therefore took action today to enact a regulation that reflects that policy. It is consistent with regulations at most other state universities."