Kudos to the administration of Eastern Florida State for doing the right thing.

Judith Levy of Ricochet reports.

It’s a Start

Last Thursday, 24-year-old student Landrick Hamilton was assaulted by two men, one wielding a pool cue, near his car in a parking lot at Eastern Florida State College. During the attack, Hamilton managed to get to his gun, which was inside the car. He shot one of his assailants, 25-year-old Amado Contreras, in the chest. Contreras is now in fair condition in the hospital.

Firearms are not allowed on the campus of Eastern Florida State, so Hamilton could have found himself in hot water. Instead, the college announced on Tuesday that it is revoking its no-gun policy. Weapons are now permitted, provided they are kept secure and out of sight inside cars. “We’re glad to work with him to get him back going in his studies,” college spokesman John Glisch said. “He remains a full-time student, and he’s not facing any type of disciplinary action.”

The policy change is not the direct result of the incident, though it was accelerated by it. The shift was precipitated primarily by the threat of a lawsuit by the gun rights group Florida Carry, which had already sued to overturn a similar prohibition at the University of North Florida. On December 1st, the First District Appeals Court ruled in that case that Florida universities and colleges cannot prevent anyone from storing a gun in a car on campus, so Eastern Florida would certainly have lost their suit.