Second Amendment: A Florida appeals court rules that colleges can’t ban students from having guns on campus for self-protection, bringing us one step closer to the day schools are predator-free, not-gun-free zones.

A female student gun owner won’t be able to carry her firearm on campus in her purse, or book bag, but she can keep it in her parked vehicle on campus, available for self-protection, or in case a madman decides to shoot up the University of North Florida.

Florida’s 1st Court of Appeals ruled that the school was violating a 2011 state law that pre-empted the regulation of guns by local governments and state agencies. The court said that while a university can restrict lawful activities, such as smoking and drinking, that power does not extend to firearms. “Restricting recreational activities is a far cry from restricting a fundamental, constitutional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense,” wrote Judge Clay Roberts in an opinion that had the support of a majority of the 15 judges who make up the court.

The case was brought by Florida Carry Inc. and Alexandria Lainez, a 24 year old mother who has had a concealed weapons permit for three years. It was built around her ability to store a gun in her vehicle while on campus, where she could access it for self-defense on her commute to and from school.
According Lainez’s attorney, Eric Friday, said, “She takes seriously her responsibility to protect herself and her child.”

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