Senate rejects guns on campus attempt

RICHMOND, Va. (AP/WAVY) - A bill to prohibit colleges and other state agencies from banning guns has been shot down by a Senate committee.

Sen. Jill Vogel's bill would have banned state agencies, including schools, from enacting gun laws that are more stringent than those passed by the legislature. The Senate Rules Committee rejected the proposal on a 10-2 vote Friday.

It's a blow to a controversial petition started by Old Dominion University's College Republicans.

It requests students be allowed to legally carry concealed weapons on campus.

"They can ban us from concealed carrying but a regular Joe blow like you can conceal carry anywhere you want on this campus and they can't tell you you can't," said ODU student Tyler Spires.

The university responded saying it has a wide range of safety measures in place to provide an environment where members of the community are free to learn and grow.

Last month, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld George Mason University's prohibition against guns in campus buildings and at sports and entertainment events.

Gun rights activists argued that elected officials should decide gun policy, not schools or appointed agency heads. Opponents, including school leaders and law enforcement officials, said guns have no place on college campuses.