Lynchburg, VA - Supporters of the Second Amendment gathered Friday afternoon at the Liberty University (web) School of Law for a gun rights symposium.

The discussion of current legal cases turned into a cry for help from students at Virginia Tech. Some Virginia Tech students even skipped class to do it.

Alyson Boyce with VT Students for Concealed Carry President said, "Two and a half years ago, if you would have asked me anything about gun rights, I would not have been able to tell you a thing."

Now, Boyce is the president of the Hokie Chapter of Students for Concealed Carry Rights.

"I lost a very good friend of mine named Mike Pohle on April 16th and after that, it really opened my eyes to the discussion," Boyce said.

VT Students for Concealed Carry Founder Ken Stanton said he wants to be a college professor. He founded the student group after the massacre because he doesn't believe he should have to choose between education or self defense.

"It's a decision I don't like to make. I am very passionate about education but I am also very passionate about surviving any kind of disaster so that I can continue to teach in the future," Stanton said.

Virginia Citizens League President Philip Van Cleave said, "The worst crimes we have, if you think back on all these massacres, they happened in gun-free zones. Virginia Tech was a gun free zone."

The student group asked for help in getting their college concealed rights passed next year in the General Assembly. They admit there's no proof it would stop future campus shootings, but they believe it will.

"The reality is that nobody even had the chance to find out if it could have stopped or kept the body count down," Boyce said.

Students for Concealed Carry Rights believe they have a good shot at getting their bill passed. They tell us it depends largely on who wins the governor's race.

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