WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — A proposal to ban dangerous and deadly weapons from the campus of West Liberty University is out for a public comment period. The West Liberty Board of Governors proposed the policy change this week after being informed about the state’s new concealed carry law by the Higher Education Policy Commission.
“I guess the commission made us aware of the new law and wanted to know how it applied to our institution and other institutions,” said West Liberty President Stephen Greiner. “Most institutions already had a campus wide gun policy, ours was not campus wide, it was only in the student handbook and it implied it was campus wide.”
The policy will include guns of any kind in the possession of any person with the exception of law enforcement, and a few others in special circumstances. But the measure also extended to other “deadly” weapons. Greiner said the definition of those may be subject to discretion, but could include items like swords or a machete. Until now, the policy only applied to students, according to Greiner, not to faculty, staff, or visitors on campus.
“It’s only been in the student handbook” Greiner said. “This applies to everyone on campus, not just students.”
Critics of the policy and advocates of the new conceal carry law argue the presence of concealed carry on campus would actually make the campus safer and a more restrictive prohibition would have the opposite effect. Greiner offered no response.
“We’re at the point where we are accepting all comments,” Greiner said. “We aren’t responding, we’re at in the process of receiving comments from our employees, faculty, and students.”
The West Liberty Board of Governors will take up the measure at its October 5th meeting following the public comment period.