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Senator Wagner:
My name is Eddy Sanders, and I am registered to vote in your district. I am a senior at Old Dominion University, and I have a concern about one of the University’s policies concerning weapons.
[strike]It is my right as a citizen to defend myself from attack. However,[/strike] ODU Board of Visitors and the <correct name of faculty senate/president's cabinet/whoever they are> has seen fit to trample on the authority of the General Assembly by using the Virginia Administrative Code to impliment a policy regarding the possession of firearms on campus without having been specifically granted the authotity to do so, as noted in § 15.2-915. The policy established by ODU, found at
http://ww2.odu.edu/ao/bov/manual/pdfs/1013.pdf clerarly usurps the authority the General Assembly reserved unto itself. [strike]has diminished this right by enforcing a regulation that says students and faculty may not posses weapons of any sort, anywhere on campus. This includes locked vehicles parked in student garages.[/strike]
ODU’s campus is a wonderful place to learn and develop young minds, but [strike]the surrounding areas are very dangerous. Last year, while I was at a social gathering just off campus, another student was walking alone and was attacked by a small group of thugs. They stole his shoes, his wallet, and his cell phone, then they proceeded to assault him. Had this student been legally armed, he could have defended himself.[/strike] it is difficult to do so when confronted daily with the fact that the Board of Visitors and administration have no respect for the General Assembly. It calls into question whethere there are other actions that are also sending the message that if you violate a law that has no "teeth" to it via a penalty for violation, you can violate those laws with impunity.
I urge you to introduce legislation [strike]allowing for both concealed carry and open carry of firearms on college campuses. If legislation such as this passes, students will be able to take a stand and say, “I WILL NOT BE A VICTIM!”[/strike] putting "teeth" into § 15.2-915 by adding penalties to the violation of the statute.
Yours respectfully,
Eddy Sanders