CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA — Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia has signed a bill into law that will permit people with concealed carry permits to carry firearms onto public college and university campuses.
The bill, which was passed Wednesday, will not take effect until July 2024, according to ABC News.
According to ABC, West Virginia is the twelfth state to pass some variation of this law.
The law isn’t a carte blanche for carriers to go anywhere and everywhere. According to ABC, open carry remains banned. It is also not permitted to carry firearms into areas with a capacity of over 1,000 spectators, or on-campus daycare centers. WSAZ reported that dorm rooms are also prohibited areas.
Justice — who may have the best name for a governor in the United States — called the moment of signing a “Proud day for me.”
He made the point that firearms are present on campuses regardless of the status of this law.
“For crying out loud, the doors are wide open,” he said according to ABC.
“This is just saying the law-abiding people have a right to be able to carry if they choose to do so. We just hope and pray that there’s never a problem. We can’t ensure in any way that there won’t be a problem.”
He reportedly hopes the law will “send a message to the world, by God , if you want to mess with us, we can mess back.”
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