The student congress of UNC has been unfairly targeting funding for the Tar Heel Rifle and Pistol Club. Read this for background.

Today, Ben Smith of Carolina Review Daily reports that the measure failed in the student congress, providing the gun club with a major victory.

UPDATE: Controversial Gun Bill gets Veto by SBP, Veto Upheld by Congress

After this humiliating defeat, in which several of the original proponents and co-sponsors of the bill switched their votes, many believed that the bill had finally fallen. The bill’s main sponsor, Austin Root, however, was not willing to accept defeat. He motioned to reconsider, which stunned many of the members, because once a bill has left the body, then is vetoed, and then veto is sustained, the bill is dead. Despite the fact that this has been precedent for almost any functioning legislative body in the United States, the Speaker agreed to the motion. Almost immediately, an argument broke on whether or not this was correct proceeding.

Suddenly several members motioned to override the presiding officer, in this case Speaker Camparato. A quiet but tense hush fell over the Congress as the motion to override the Speakers ruling came up for a vote. This vote needed a 2/3 majority, but it fell with 13 yeas, 15 nays, and 4 abstentions. Obviously angered and shaken by the vote, the Speaker allowed the motion to reconsider the bill to continue. With a 13 yeas, 15 nays and 4-abstention vote, the motion, failed. The bill was dead, again.

After the vote, the 20 or more members of the Pistol Club proceeded to celebrate in the hallway during a short recess so that members of the club could exit the room without causing disturbance. This was a major victory for the Club.

UPDATE: The court case that was filed by the Tar Heel Rifle and Pistol in the Student Supreme Court against Student Congress has been dropped.