WVU to add metal detectors to athletic venues as part of its $1M ‘campus carry’ law implementation

Metal detectors will debut at Milan Puskar Stadium on Aug. 31 for the football home opener against Penn State. (WVU Sports photo)

Fans attending West Virginia University home football games this season will be required to enter through new walk-through metal detectors.

The security additions at WVU’s major athletic venues are part of the university’s implementation of the state’s new “campus carry” law , which went into effect July 1.

The bill allows people with a concealed carry permit to carry a concealed pistol or revolver in many areas of public college campuses.

Guns are still banned at athletic events.

Leaders of WVU, Marshall University and other higher education institutions opposed the bill, which was called the Campus Self Defense Act and hailed by the National Rifle Association. Its implementation has cost WVU $1 million, which included on-campus gun storage lockers and the new metal detectors at athletic venues.

The metal detectors will be debuted at Milan Puskar Stadium on Aug. 31 for the football home opener against Penn State.

“Fan safety is paramount. Walk-through metal detectors will be an important addition to our events as professional venues and major college facilities have had great success with this safety enhancement,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said in a news release on Thursday. “We have done our research, and modern technology enables us to add this extra level of safety with virtually no additional burden to our fans.”

WVU’s clear bag policy is still in effect. With the new detectors, university officials said that fans will not have to empty their clear bags or pockets or place other items, including keys, to the side because the metal detectors are designed to be completely passed through.

If a problem is detected, and the alarm sounds, fans will have to proceed to an additional area and be checked separately with a security wand.

“I don’t see walking through a metal detector as a burden, I see it as an important step to keep our fans safe. I applaud our campus leaders and campus security for helping us take this necessary step to keep our events safe,” Baker said.

Less than 10 WVU students have requested a secure locker in which to store their gun, according to university Communications Director April Kaull. The students will pay $140 a semester for their locker.

Centralized storage locations for the guns were added to the university’s Evansdale, Downtown Morgantown, Beckley and Keyser campuses.

The legislation permitted universities to prohibit people from taking guns into certain areas, including residence hall rooms (guns are allowed in lounges and study rooms), on-campus day cares and areas where people are receiving mental health services.

They’re also banned in sole-occupancy offices where the occupant notifies those entering that they’re prohibited from carrying a concealed firearm.

Marshall University added metal detectors to the Joan C. Edwards Stadium entrance ahead of its home opener Aug. 31.

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