CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia's governor signed a bill Wednesday allowing people with concealed carry permits to take firearms onto public college and university campuses."Proud day for me," Republican Gov.
Jim Justice said as he signed the bill, surrounded by more than two dozen state lawmakers, members of the National Rifle Association, and the West Virginia Citizens Defense League.The law will take effect in July 2024.
Similar legislation has passed in 11 other states.Justice said guns have been present on state campuses even without the new law."For crying out loud, the doors are wide open," he said. "This is just saying the law-abiding people have a right to be able to carry if they choose to do so.
We just hope and pray that there’s never a problem. We can’t ensure in any way that there won’t be a problem."He wants the law to "send a message to the world, by God , if you want to mess with us, we can mess back."The signing comes two weeks after a gunman shot and killed three students and injured five others at Michigan State University.At a public hearing last month at the West Virginia Capitol, nearly all of the 40 people who spoke opposed the bill.The presidents of West Virginia’s largest institutions of higher learning urged lawmakers to reconsider as the bill moved through the Legislature.