Earlier today (12/8/2011 @ noon ET), a routine traffic stop at Virginia Tech turned deadly. A police officer conducting the stop as well as a second individual were shot and killed, apparently the same assailant. At the time of this post (3pm ET), the status of the assailant is unknown and Virginia Tech remains on lockdown.

Students for Concealed Carry offers our condolences the victims, and deepest hopes that the suspect(s) responsible be brought to justice.

SCC also sadly recognizes this incident proves yet again that nothing has changed at Virginia Tech. The college still entertain delusional beliefs that signs and stickers will prevent illegal weapons on campus, even as they protest paying fines for their failing to notify students of the initial murders preceding the worst shooting spree in history three years ago.

This latest event shows evil people still exist in the world and all the laws in the world will not stop them from committing violent crime. Guns are not the solution to every problem, but they are a solution to some problems – a solution completely ruled out by college campuses in Virginia and nationwide.

With licensed campus carry now a successful policy at over two hundred campuses in six states without incident, it is time for Virginia Tech and colleges nationwide to end the ban on campus self-defense.

Expecting a sign saying an area is a “gun free zone” to work is a dangerous and deadly fiction.

FOR PRESS INQUIRIES, CONTACT DAVID BURNETT, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS WITH STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY

Police at Virginia Tech are searching for a reported armed gunman at the site of the worst college shooting in history. The latest word is that no shots or injuries have been reported, but armed police officers have placed the campus on lock-down and continue to search.

Clearly, not even Virginia Tech officials have much confidence in their alleged “gun-free zone.”

Virginia Tech, like most colleges, demands the right to ban guns on campus, but they continue to show an appalling lack of interest in enforcing those bans or creating any practical mechanism to protect students.

“Colleges have entered into an informal alliance with criminals,” said David Burnett, spokesman with Students for Concealed Carry. “By banishing lawfully-armed citizens, the college is denying the right to self-defense and creating a defense-free environment which leaves colleges extremely vulnerable – and attractive – to criminals.”

Last month, in denying the college a blanket right to disarm law-abiding citizens, Virginia Tech’s Attorney-General Ken Cuccinelli stated that gun-ban polices “are ineffectual because persons who wish to perpetrate violence will ignore them, and that the net effect of such policies is to leave defenseless the law-abiding citizens who follow these policies.”

With over 600 acres of ground to cover, declaring the area “safe” may take a while, but with today’s quick notification, it appears Virginia Tech has at least taken to heart the lesson it learned in blood back in 2007 where they failed to notify students of the danger for nearly two hours.

“We hope Virginia Tech will continue to learn from their mistakes and stop disarming the very people who could make a difference in a life-or-death situation,” said Burnett.

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations, Students for Concealed Carry

ABOUT:
Students for Concealed Carry is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprising over 40,000 college students, professors, employees, parents and concerned citizens who believe that licensed concealed carry permit holders should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that they enjoy off-campus.

As college students across the country prepare to convene in the nation’s capitol to discuss college gun bans on August 8th, two more states have expanded the right to carry concealed weapons on campus.

Wisconsin became the 49th state to decriminalize bearing arms for defense when Governor Scott Walker signed SB 93 into law on July 8.

The law, which goes into effect in November, removes the state prohibition on concealed carry, limiting possession of firearms on K-12 institutions but excluding college campuses.

“Carrying a concealed weapon for protection is no longer a criminal offense in Wisconsin,” said David Burnett, a spokesman with Students for Concealed Carry. “It remains to be seen how much power the colleges will have to regulate self-defense on campus, but this is clearly a step in the right direction.”

The bill passed despite efforts of gun control advocates to maintain the ban on self-defense. “[G]un violence cannot be stopped with more guns,” argued Virginia Tech victim and gun control advocate Colin Goddard in a June 24th editorial. Ironically, the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech massacre had more than 200 rounds of ammunition left when he took his own life in response to the approach of officers, who were presumably carrying guns.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued an opinion on July 1 stating that policies set in place by the University of Virginia “may not be used to
prohibit persons with such a permit from carrying a concealed firearm into the buildings covered by the policy.” The ruling invalidates the University of Virginia’s previous ban on lawfully-armed visitors to the campus, though the college can still penalize residents, students and faculty of the campus for protecting themselves with firearms.

“It certainly can be argued that [gun ban] policies are ineffectual because persons who wish to perpetrate violence will ignore them, and that the net effect of such policies is to leave defenseless the law-abiding citizens who follow these policies,” wrote Cuccinelli.

The opinion is forcing other colleges, including Virginia Tech, to revisit their rules.

“This is a tremendous step forward for college students and teachers in both Wisconsin and Virginia,” said Burnett. “Almost half the states in the union took up the issue this year, and our group won’t stop until we vote down every law that forbids us from fighting back.”

Join the Students for Concealed Carry Conference in Washington DC on August 8! Click here for more details!

Follow Students for Concealed Carry on Facebook and Twitter!

CONTACT:
David Burnett
Director of Public Relations, Students for Concealed Carry

Join Students for Concealed Carry in our nation’s capitol this August for an afternoon of education, debate and socializing with other like-minded students!

On August 8, college students from throughout the United States will attend the second Students for Concealed Carry Conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

The event will feature many distinguished speakers and guests. Among them will be author and scholar Dr. John R. Lott and well-known civil rights litigator Alan Gura.

Conference attendees will be provided with a free night’s stay at Holiday Inn in Arlington, and students traveling over 750 miles are eligible to receive a travel scholarship up to $300. Travel itineraries should be forwarded to conference@concealedcampus.org in order to secure travel scholarships and to reserve space at the conference.

SCC strongly encourages all members to attend this historic event. Those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet and network with like-minded individuals from throughout the United States, make important contacts, hear world-renowned scholars speak about concealed carry on college campuses and visit the nation’s capital.

WHEN: Monday, August 8th from noon to 4:30 PM.
WHERE: National Press Club, 529 14th Street Northwest Washington, D.C. 20045
TRAVEL VOUCHERS: $300 per person for distances of 750 miles or more. LIMITED SUPPLIES, contact Daniel.Crocker@concealedcampus.org to confirm attendance!
HOTEL: Holiday Inn ROSSLYN @ KEY BRIDGE. The Rosslyn Metro is literally just a few stops away from either the National Press Club (the Metro Center stop) or Washington-Reagan Airport. (LIMITED RESERVATIONS, CONFIRM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE)
SPEAKERS/PANELISTS: Joyce Lee Malcolm, Bob Cottrol, Nelson Lund, Amanda Collins, Nikki Goeser, Dr. John Lott, Alan Gura, SCC President Daniel Crocker, spokesman and former president David Burnett. Other guests and panelists TBA.

AUSTIN, May 10 – The Texas State Senate has passed a bill which would allow concealed handguns on state college campuses.

The bill follows several attempts by Senator Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio which have been thwarted by Senate Democrats. Sen. Wentworth has gone on record to say he believes allowing lawful concealed carry will increase the safety of college campuses by introducing the option of self-defense for those with state-issued permits.

More than 20 other states have taken up similar bills this year, with legislation still pending in Nevada, Michigan and Louisiana. The bills have been strongly supported by Students for Concealed Carry,

“We always looked to Texas as one of our stronger possibilities this year,” said David Burnett, the president of Students for Concealed Carry. “But we’ve had a very strong year elsewhere in the nation as well. A lot of legislatures clearly consider this an important issue.”

Critics say allowing guns on campus would make campuses less safe but the group argues just the opposite is true.

“Their arguments aren’t based in reality. We already have over 70 campuses in three states that allow concealed carry by licensed individuals. We have yet to see a single resulting incident reported. Permit-holders want to follow the law. Criminals don’t obey the signs or ask for permission.”

“We’re tired of depending on the cooperation and goodwill of criminals,” said Daniel Crocker, Southern Regional Director of Students for Concealed Carry. “We shouldn’t have to sacrifice the right to protect ourselves to pursue higher education.”

Burnett said the group expects smooth sailing through the House. Governor Rick Perry has already stated he will sign the bill.

| – To follow Students for Concealed Carry, visit www.Facebook.com/ConcealedCampus

CONTACT:
David Burnett
President, Students for Concealed Carry

Daniel Crocker
Southwest Regional Director, Students for Concealed Carry

AUSTIN – Legislation allowing licensed concealed firearms on college campuses has been introduced in the Texas House of Representatives.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joe Driver would allow Texas residents already licensed to carry under state law to have the same right to self-defense on college campuses as they do elsewhere in Texas.

“A lot of people hear about guns and schools and become alarmed,” said David Burnett, President and spokesman of Students for Concealed Carry. “The fact is that concealed carry is already an established body of law in Texas and most other states. There’s a process with age requirements, background checks and training before you can carry a handgun. If you’re mentally ill, or have a history of violent crime or drug and alcohol abuse, you can’t carry a gun.

“This is about people who already responsibly carry elsewhere in the state, including restaurants, shopping malls, movie theaters, churches and banks. No one feels unsafe in those places, even though the odds are someone there is armed. Yet if a citizen walks onto a college campus, their right to self-defense is taken away.”

Students for Concealed Carry got started after the Virginia Tech shooting, which the group says proved gun free zones don’t work.

“Stickers on the doors saying ‘no guns allowed’ won’t keep an armed killer out of the building,” said Burnett. “Until you have a practical mechanism for enforcing a gun-free zone, you can’t tell people they can’t protect themselves.”

Texas is one of nine states currently considering campus carry; similar bills are advancing in Arizona, Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Florida, Nebraska and Mississippi.

Critics argue that colleges are generally safe environments and adding guns would make things worse. But the group points to reports of rising crime on college campuses, noting that in addition to high-profile shootings like Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, there were more than 3,000 sexual assaults, 4,500 robberies and 5000 assaults on college campuses in 2008.

The group also notes that 26 colleges in three states already allow licensed concealed carry on campus, with no resulting problems.

“We’re not handing out pistols at the door,” said Daniel Crocker, the Southwest Regional Director with Students for Concealed Carry. “We’re talking about former military, ROTC cadets, professors and other mature adults with permits.”

The bill has been assigned to the Homeland Security & Public Safety committee.

CONTACT:
David Burnett
President, Students for Concealed Carry

Daniel Crocker
Southwest Regional Director, Students for Concealed Carry

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