VA-ALERT: Liberty Univ. LIves up to its name!

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VA-ALERT: Liberty Univ. LIves up to its name!

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1. Liberty University now allows CHP holders to carry inside its buildings!
2. Help still needed with Potts Mountain range clean up on Tuesday
3. Leesburg restaurant welcomes open carriers with discount on Wednesdays - lots of coverage!

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1. Liberty University now allows CHP holders to carry inside its buildings!
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Hats off to Liberty University (LU) for honoring CHPs from students, faculty, staff and guests. Carry is now allowed in their buildings! Students, faculty, and staff must apply to LU to get permission to carry. Guests can carry without doing so. Open carry is prohibited.

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Good quote from Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.

From hamptonroads.com: http://tinyurl.com/cqo8lee

Liberty University board loosens firearms policy
The Associated Press

Liberty University's Board of Trustees has loosened the school's weapons policy to allow firearms inside all campus facilities except dormitories.

The university previously allowed guns on campus but not inside buildings. The revised policy, which was unanimously approve by the board, went into effect March 22.

"I think it's good that Liberty is a little more open than some schools, and I think it'll continue to create a higher level of security on campus than what was found at Virginia Tech" during the time of the fatal shootings in 2007, Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. told The News & Advance.

"I think it's a positive thing for security that there's at least a chance that somebody responsible will be carrying a firearm when something like that happens."

People who want to carry a concealed weapon on campus must apply with the Liberty University Police Department. It's unclear how many people have permission to carry concealed weapons on campus.

Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus spokesman John Johnson said more guns are not the answer to gun violence.

"A student with a concealed weapon is unlikely to prevent a mass shooting or crime. On the other hand, the unintended consequences of gun possession by students and others � a shooting during an argument or dispute, attempted suicide, unintentional shooting, etc. � are real and make the college campus more dangerous every hour of every day," Johnson told the newspaper.

Liberty senior Craig Storrs expects the number of students seeking permission to carry concealed weapons to increase significantly.

"I think it's a fantastic idea, and I applaud the university for making this decision despite all the political pressure to restrict firearm ownership and carrying," said Storrs, who was among the students who petition for the policy revision.

"In my opinion, it makes it safer, and it will prevent an event like Virginia Tech from happening here on campus," Storrs said. "This just enhances the policy."

The change also is supported by Students for Concealed Carry, a national organization that advocates for the rights of concealed handgun license holders.

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From news advance.com: http://tinyurl.com/d2d9qxo

LU changes concealed weapons rules for permitted people
Amy Trent

Liberty University students, visitors, faculty and staff with concealed-carry permits can now bring weapons into all Liberty University facilities � from philosophy class to Williams Stadium � except for dormitories.

The policy change went into effect March 22, following a unanimous vote by the Liberty University Board of Trustees. Previously, guns were allowed on campus but not inside buildings.�I think it�s good that Liberty is a little more open than some schools,and I think it�ll continue to create a higher level of security on campus than what was found at Virginia Tech� during the time of the fatal shootings in 2007, Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said Tuesday.

�I think it�s a positive thing for security that there�s at least a chance that somebody responsible will be carrying a firearm when something like that happens.�

In November 2011, LU became the only college in Central Virginia to allow concealed weapons on campus. Officials did not know Tuesday how many individuals have permission to carry concealed weapons on campus, but in December of 2011, 64 individuals applied with LUPD for such permission. There have been no weapons policy violations in that time, Falwell said.

Falwell expects the change to affect a �limited number� of people. He said he does not have safety concerns in light of the change.

The revision is a response to complaints from students that Liberty�s weapons policy was too restrictive despite the changes made in 2011.

The university posted the new policy on its website Monday but has no plan to make an official announcement regarding the change.

Liberty University Police Chief Col. Richard Hinkley could not be reached Tuesday. According to an email he sent Chancellor Falwell April 1, Hinkley said he was �glad to see that this change was made.�

John Johnson, spokesperson for the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, said Tuesday, �The answer to gun violence is not more guns,� in response to the news LU would allow guns in campus facilities.

�A student with a concealed weapon is unlikely to prevent a mass shooting or crime. On the other hand, the unintended consequences of gun possession by students and others � a shooting during an argument or dispute, attempted suicide, unintentional shooting, etc. � are real and make the college campus more dangerous every hour of every day,� Johnson said.

Liberty University senior Craig Storrs, one of the students who petitioned for the policy change, was thrilled by the revision and thinks it will make the campus safer.

�I think it�s a fantastic idea, and I applaud the university for making this decision despite all the political pressure to restrict firearm ownership and carrying,� Storrs said.

He predicts a significant increase in the number of students who will seek permission to carry concealed weapons.

�In my opinion, it makes it safer, and it will prevent an event like Virginia Tech from happening here on campus,� Storrs said. �This just enhances the policy.�

Students with valid concealed weapons permits recognized in the state of Virginia and approved by the university�s police department can now carry weapons on university property and in university facilities.

Previously, those students were not permitted to take guns into school facilities. Students told Falwell the previous policy, which required them to remember to return their firearm to their car prior to entering a building, was a nuisance.

�The change was for the convenience of student permit holders but also visitor permit holders,� Falwell said, adding he believes LU is part of a national trend of colleges providing more gun rights.

Another change allows faculty and staff � including residential advisors living in residence hall apartments � to store weapons in secured containers in their apartment. These resident hall apartments are separate from the dormitories that residential students live in, and Falwell said the university will continue to prohibit any weapons inside any dormitory.

Kurt Mueller, spokesperson for Students for Concealed Carry, a national organization advocating for the rights of concealed handgun license holders, said the organization supports Liberty�s policy revision.

�We support the change as increasing the rights of law-abiding citizens, and we continue to encourage the adoption of policies that treat adults who already carry concealed off campus in their every day lives to be able to carry concealed firearms on campus as well,� Mueller said.

Falwell said he thinks the change �makes our campus safer than most.�

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Here is the actual policy:

http://www.liberty.edu/media/1370/Weapo ... sion_1.pdf


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2. Help still needed with Potts Mountain range clean up on Monday
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We still need more help for the Potts Mountain range clean up on THIS Monday.

To follow up on gun owners' recent success in Craig County in making sure the Potts Slope range stays open, we are now seeking volunteers for two separate clean-up days for our public ranges. The Blacksburg Range will be closed for us to clean on Monday, April 8th. The Potts Slope Range (a.k.a Potts Mountain Range) will be closed for us to clean on Tuesday, April 9th. Both clean-up days will begin at 9:00am and, per the Forest Service's recreation program manager, volunteers are asked to bring their own gloves and safety glasses if they have them. There should be extra pairs of gloves and safety glasses available on site just in case. Long sleeves are recommended for working in the brush around the lanes. If you have a rake, please bring it, but it is recommended to mark yours to prevent confusion with others'.

Also, donations to the range are greatly appreciated. Per the Eastern Divide District Ranger, Cindy Schiffer: "We'd like to see a good group of volunteers come and help complete a major cleaning , replace chicken wire and metal posts, patch bullet holes and repair other vandalism, and so on. We'd make a list ahead of time. We close the Blacksburg Range every Monday for cleaning/maintenance and will be closing the Potts Slope Range on Tuesday for the same purpose. So the major cleaning/maintenance/refurbish dates remaining in 2013 would be April 8/9. July 8/9, October 14/15. If we get enough donations we would probably use one of these 3 dates to do some sound abatement work."

If you would like to volunteer, please RSVP to John Wilburn at: john.wilburn@vcdl.org. We would like a head count to know about how many to expect. Donations should have checks made payable to "USDA Forest Service" and mailed to:

Eastern Divide Ranger Station
110 South Park Drive
Blacksburg VA 24060.

On the check in the memo area put "Range Donation from VCDL member."


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3. Leesburg restaurant welcomes open carriers with discount on Wednesdays - lots of coverage!
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Lots of coverage on a restaurant that welcomes open carriers with open arms.

Of note:

Typical boloney from one reporter: "There have been no incidents YET." And there won't be. Why doesn't the reporter go to a restaurant that bans guns and say the same thing?

Also, the comments by the Leesburg Chief of Police were disappointing. He went back to the tired old, "guns and alcohol don't mix," even though no one in these videos was drinking. Why couldn't he just support law-abiding people doing law-abiding things without all the bigotry and distrust?

ABC - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI3-1dDZRcI

NBC - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y2F4sIIC8Q

FOX - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huj7m7wrXTQ


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(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]
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