Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, left, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation this month taking diverging approaches to gun regulation on public campuses in their states.
Mike Kropf and Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Last week, Virginia’s Democratic governor held a ceremonial signing of a law that generally bans guns and explosives from public college and university buildings. The event was held at the University of Virginia, which saw a deadly campus shooting almost four years ago.
“In November 2022, three students here at the University of Virginia were shot and killed on Grounds—Devin Chandler. Lavel Davis Jr. D’Sean Perry,” Gov. Abigail Spanberger told attendees, according to a news release from her office. “This horrific tragedy devastated this community and our Commonwealth. Their families, friends, and football teammates deserve more than shared grief. They deserve action.”
Spanberger said that while some regulations already technically banned possession of firearms on Virginia campuses, the lack of a law made that prohibition harder to enforce. The law (House Bill 626/Senate Bill 272) still allows institutions to permit guns in buildings as part of curricula or “as part of any organization,” such as the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, authorized by a university to carry weapons in a building.
