Senators to debate anti-gun bill

Student government senators will debate an anti-gun bill of opinion at next Tuesday’s Student Senate meeting.

About 300 more signatures are needed to pass the non-binding bill.

Enough signatures were gathered to present the bill by freshman Sara Lunsford, a Student Government Association senator. The bill, which supports the university’s no-weapons policy, was read and tabled earlier this week.

Nearly 1, 600 signatures — 10 percent of the student body — were needed to consider the bill. About 1,700 signatures already were gathered, Lunsford said.

Lunsford will continue collecting signatures on the commons this week.

"I will try to get as many as possible in order to communicate the extent of the student support behind my bill," she said. "I need 2,000 signatures for it to pass, which I anticipate no problems in getting."

The senator plans to petition the Virginia General Assembly to change state law so colleges and universities can create policies that ban handguns.

"Why is there any need to have guns on campus?" Lunsford said to The Breeze last week. "There just isn’t."

JMU’s current weapon’s policy bans weapons and does not make an exception for visitors who hold concealed handgun permits.

The bill was drafted after Keezletown resident David Briggman filed a lawsuit to halt JMU’s weapons policy. Briggman, who has a concealed weapons permit, said the policy contradicts state code. The case will be heard in Rockingham County Circuit Court on Oct. 20.