Gov. Abigail Spanberger visited the University of Virginia Tuesday to sign a bill prohibiting, in most cases, the possession of firearms in college buildings – a landmark piece of legislation sought by UVA leaders since the 2022 shootings on Grounds.
UVA President Scott Beardsley noted that a 2021 state law prohibits carrying firearms in state-owned buildings, but the statute “exempted institutions of higher education.”
UVA leaders began lobbying for the legislation after the Nov. 2022 on-Grounds shootings that took the lives of three student-athletes, from left, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry. (Contributed photos)
“Today, we take a meaningful step forward in that commitment to keep university campuses across the commonwealth safe, including our own Grounds,” Beardsley told a crowd assembled in the Rotunda’s Dome Room. “For the past four legislative sessions, the UVA community and leadership have championed a critical change to our commonwealth’s laws, led by President Emeritus Jim Ryan, who guided our community through this tragedy with tremendous compassion.”
Spanberger, a UVA graduate, came to Charlottesville in recognition of UVA leadership’s multi-year effort to address the issue.
“It was important for me to be here today because the UVA community broadly, in fact, the entire Charlottesville community, has advocated for this bill,” Spanberger told UVA Today. “It was through the advocacy of all of the folks that are here today – victims, friends and family, and people who wanted to make a difference – who saw there was a gap in the law. We can close it, we can protect people and we can make the community safer.”
The new law will not affect police officers, security officers and military members. ROTC cadets are likewise exempted if participating in sanctioned events. A violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor. UVA Police Chief Tim Longo supported the bill and lobbied lawmakers for the change.
State Sen. Creigh Deeds, left, listens as state Del. Katrina Callsen outlines how the new law will improve safety on college campuses. Callsen is a UVA School of Law graduate and one of the bill’s patrons. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
“For several years, we have worked alongside University leadership and legislators to address a serious gap in Virginia law,” Longo said. “Today’s signing represents an important step forward in empowering institutions to better safeguard their communities.”
The University first began advocating for this change in Virginia law in the aftermath of the 2022 shooting on Grounds, which claimed the lives of Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr., and left fellow students Mike Hollins and Marlee Morgan wounded. The perpetrator, Christopher Jones, has since been convicted and sentenced to five life terms.
While University rules have long prohibited firearms in dorms, prior to this legislation, police were unable to open investigations or execute search warrants for reports of firearms in University buildings because there was no law prohibiting gun possession in college buildings.
“What the policymakers who voted for this, and what Gov. Spanberger are trying to do, is to make it as easy as possible for us to prevent future tragedies,” Andy Block, who directs the State and Local Government Policy Clinic at the UVA School of Law, said. “And why wouldn’t you want to do that?”
The Tuesday event was ceremonial – the official signing was April 13 in Richmond, and the law will go into effect July 1 – but deeply meaningful to those still recovering from the tragedy.
“I want to thank Gov. Spanberger and Virginia for choosing courage, compassion and action with this important gun reform law,” Happy Perry, mother of D’Sean Perry, said in a statement sent to UVA Today. “Nothing will ever soften the enormous burden or bring back so many innocent lives that have been taken due to gun violence. The pain experienced Nov. 13, 2022, is something our family carries every single day. But knowing that their lives, legacies and the voices of so many grieving families helped inspire meaningful change gives me hope.”
Spanberger, left, speaks with UVA President Scott Beardsley after the bill signing. Beardsley thanked the governor for the legislation that “will close a loophole” that had made it difficult for police to investigate reports of guns in university buildings. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
In recent legislative sessions, the UVA-backed bill continued to gain traction, but it wasn’t until this spring that it passed both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate and was signed into law by the governor.
State Del. Katrina Callsen, a UVA School of Law graduate whose district includes Charlottesville, was one of the bill’s sponsors and attended the signing.
“Making sure that our students feel safe when they are on a college campus is of utmost importance,” she said. “In talking to the University police chief, and realizing that a legislative fix was needed, that really drove the work.”
While it’s impossible to know what might have prevented the tragedy at UVA or similar events across the state and nation, the legislation is an effort to strengthen institutions’ ability to keep their communities safe in the years ahead.
“We can’t undo the past, but we can prevent future tragedies,” state Sen. Creigh Deeds told UVA Today. “That’s what this legislation is about. The way I look at it, people entrust their children to us, to our university and our college system. That’s a responsibility we have to take seriously. This legislation ensures we are going to protect kids.”
Spanberger said it was an honor to return to her alma mater to sign the bills, but the new law’s reach will extend well beyond Grounds.
“We’re here at UVA and mentioning UVA’s advocacy, but it is not unique to UVA,” Spanberger said. “The loophole that we have closed today will impact all of our universities across the commonwealth. For any parent sending a child to a university in the commonwealth, this matters substantially.”
This story was updated May 13, 2026, to clarify that the legislation will prohibit firearm possession in college or university buildings, rather than on campuses in general.
