The Citadel’s board of visitors has acquiesced to demands and will allow cadets with a concealed weapons permit (CWP) to keep guns on campus for self-defense.
The guns will be kept in the cadet’s vehicles rather than on their persons, but the move at least makes a defensive weapon easier to retrieve should it be needed.
According to The Post and Courier, the board of visitors voted to allow guns on campus amid a mix of pressure from cadets and Governor Nikki Haley (R).
The pro-gun cadets were led by senior cadet Austin Lee, who recently “confronted [Gov. Haley] during a speech at McAlister Field House.” He pointed to the discrepancy between state law and the Citadel’s ban on keeping firearms in vehicles for self-defense. Moreover, Lee told Haley that “more than 1,100 cadets had signed a petition supporting [a] shift” in policy from no guns on campus to guns in cars for self-defense.
Haley added her voice to those calling for a policy change, and the board of visitors responded in the affirmative.
After the policy shift was announced, Lee thanked fellow cadets Kameron Hamlin, Evan Maes, and Jake Moore for carrying on the fight to secure guns on campus for self-defense. Lee said, “We are senior cadets who will be graduating in two weeks. We fought this policy because it was the right thing to do, not for personal gain. We hope our dedication to our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms will inspire others in similar positions to do the same.”
Haley’s office responded to the announced policy change with a statement, saying, “The governor appreciates Lt. Gen. Rosa’s willingness to listen to cadets and is happy to see the university adopt a policy, consistent with state law, that protects the rights of those who hold CWPs.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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