West Virginia is a pro-gun state and doesn’t seem to be shifting blue, unlike their cousin to the immediate east.

In fact, West Virginia state legislators are considering instituting campus carry, where those with valid permits can carry firearms on college campuses, and it looks like it might well be a done deal.

West Virginia will likely become the 12th state to allow individuals to carry guns on college campuses. It’s important to note that HB 2519—the “Campus Carry” bill—includes a number of restrictions and I’ll get to those in a moment.

Currently, West Virginia public college and university campuses have broad authority to limit guns on campus. For example, at West Virginia University an unauthorized individual who brings a gun on campus and refuses to leave could be charged with trespassing.

Under the bill, which is moving through the House of Delegates, individuals, including students, who have a concealed carry permit would be allowed to carry a concealed weapon on certain areas of campus. They could not carry a weapon in the open.

WVU officials have been able to work into the bill a number of exceptions. They include venues or arenas with a capacity of more than 1,000 spectators (like a football game or concert), daycare facilities, secure areas used by law enforcement, disciplinary hearings, an individual’s office and the rooms of residence halls (though they would be allowed in common areas).

College officials would also be able to designate certain events as gun free.

Of course, what those officials have never grasped is that those who intend to harm others aren’t likely to care about gun laws. After all, if a law were sufficient to keep them from hurting someone else, wouldn’t the freaking laws against hurting other people freaking work?

It’s almost like bad people don’t care about laws and stuff. Who knew?

West Virginia is putting in a lot of exceptions, but it’s also worth noting that anti-gunners in the state are also running their typical rhetoric about how colleges will run red with blood and whatever else they can muster up.

After the law is implemented what we’ll see is…nothing.

There won’t be murders. There won’t be a slew of crimes stemming from campus carry at all. There won’t be anything except maybe crimes being stopped because a student or staff member had a gun at the right place and the right time.

That’s what happens when law-abiding people are empowered to act; they act in law-abiding ways. They stop bad people, the very same bad people who would ignore all these gun-free zones West Virginia University wants to carve out. The evil in our world won’t care about a college’s fears and concerns, except as something to exploit.

Why don’t anti-gunners ever seem to understand this? When it comes to gun free zones, they only ever apply to those inclined to follow the rules. When they kvetch about people carrying guns, they never stop to realize that the people they need to worry about are already doing so.