The news of three University of Virginia (UVA) football players killed in a parking garage at UVA is a tragic story. While we send our deepest condolences and prayers for the families of the afflicted, it is important to focus on the true cause of these types of crimes—evil. More gun control laws will only further endanger students, faculty, and other law-abiding citizens. Virginia is one of the twenty-three states that allow each institution of higher learning to decide their own policy concerning campus carry.  

The Commonwealth of Virginia law states:  

“Governing boards of Virginia’s public colleges and universities may not impose general prohibition on carrying of concealed weapons by permitted individuals. Pursuant to specific grants of statutory authority, however, colleges and universities may regulate conduct of students and employees to prohibit them from carrying concealed weapons on campus.” 

Because Virginia leaves the decision up to each institution, universities like UVA choose to enforce unconstitutional, anti-gun policies on their students and faculty. In contrast, Liberty University (LU) in Lynchburg, VA is one of the only universities in the commonwealth that does allow campus carry. Liberty is known to be one of the safest universities in the United States. LU began allowing their students to carry in their dorms in 2017, and they have not had any shootings since that time. 

The loss of innocent life is always tragic, but it is an atrocity when that innocent life is taken because the victims had their right to self-defense stripped from them. Because of a campus policy, faculty and students are left to the devices of evil individuals who, as in the case at UVA, intend to do harm.  

The violation of human rights must stop. University administrations must realize that “gun-free” zones only impact those who respect the law. It is against the law to commit murder; an individual shooting another individual in a gun-free zone does not make his or her crime any more or less severe—murder is murder.