(NewsNation) — A bill that would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring firearms onto state college and university campuses has passed in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday that he’ll sign the bill, called the Campus Self-Defense Act, “in seconds” once it reaches his desk.
‘When this bill comes to me, it won’t be with me just a matter of seconds because I’ll sign it,” Justice said during a media briefing. “God forbid, it may very well be that we got somebody on that campus that has a firearm and something bad starts to happen and everything. It may save a bunch of lives.”
Justice added that he believes in the Second Amendment and that people who have firearms and carry permits are “law-abiding, good people.”
The bill, which passed on Monday, allows an individual holding a current and valid license to carry a concealed pistol or revolver on the campus and in the buildings of state institutions of higher education.
It allows institutions to limit the carrying of concealed firearms at organized events taking place at a stadium or arena with a capacity of more than 1,000 spectators, day care facilities located on university property and a few other exceptions.
Republican Eric Brooks, who sponsored the bill, told NewsNation it’s a school safety bill that was important to implement following the tragic school shootings that have happened across the nation, like the shooting spree that occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007.
“We just want to allow these young men and women that have the permits, that have the training, we’ve certified they can safely handle these weapons. And we want to give them every opportunity they can to defend themselves in case they’re ever faced with a situation like those four students down in Virginia Tech faced that day,” Brooks explained.
The West Virginia Legislature held a public hearing on Senate Bill 10, or the Campus Self-Defense Act, on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The Legislature said the Campus Self-Defense Act will take away the authority of the Higher Education Policy Commission, the Council for Community and Technical College Education and the institutional boards of governors to regulate or restrict the carrying of firearms on higher-education campuses.
People against the bill say that they believe it would bring more injuries and violence to college campuses, as well as be unfair to students.
NewsNation affiliate WTRF contributed to this report.