There’s plenty of crime on and just off campus at Virginia Commonwealth University. As you might expect for such a large, upmarket “gun free” zone. At last count there were 1,111 incidents per year. Just last week 2timesdispatch.com reported that “Police have arrested four people [above] they believe were involved in three armed robberies Tuesday night in Richmond near Virginia Commonwealth University’s main academic campus.” I’m not saying that all 30,208 VCU students and 13,073 personnel should carry a firearm for self-defense. But all Americans should have that option. Virginia Citizens Defense League is on the case, doing their level best to restore qualified citizens’ right to keep and bear arms on and off campus. Here’s President Philip Van Cleave’s latest dispatch from the front . . .
The violent crime spree at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond continues. There were THREE more robberies of students Tuesday night alone! As you recall, VCU had a town hall meeting on safety after another group of SIX robberies a few weeks ago. While adding more officers and hiring some unarmed security guards is supposed to help the crime problem, it isn’t a guarantee by any stretch of the imagination. Tuesday night shows the futility *and danger* of depending on someone else for your own defense.
BTW, VCU already has more police officers than any other Virginia university and has the highest crime rate of any state school (see item below)
At the crime town hall meeting, the VCU Chief of Police seemed puzzled by the fact that criminals were coming from long distances to victimize VCU students. I wasn’t surprised. Violent criminals love a safe working environment and VCU’s unarmed students, faculty, and staff provide just that in spades!
At that same town hall meeting, upon hearing the VCU Chief of Police say they were going to hire *unarmed* security guards, Board member Dennis O’Connor leaned over to me and suggested that VCU just give security-guard uniforms to all the students, then criminals won’t know who are students and who are guards! 😉
The VCU and Richmond police are catching many of the criminals, but usually it is AFTER the damage has been done and someone’s life changed forever. Definitely a cold comfort to the victims. And there are plenty more criminals where the captured ones came from.
What would help is for criminals to learn that VCU allows those with CHPs to carry. Then the criminals would have to be more careful in their intended victim selection.
VCDL is going to continue to push to concealed carry on campus and I am meeting with some students to that effect next week
When it comes to crime. there is no priority besides wealth. Personally I think campus faculty is wealthier than students.
Are we missing the point here? VA is a “Shall” issue State, which is good. Though having so many laws to jump through is dis-ingenuous if not downright foolish. Just goes to show that dis-arming the victims is downright stupid.
Criminals not only travel but ignore those laws!