Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 23-9.2:3.05 as follows:

§23-9.2:3.05. Possession of handguns by faculty members.

A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no board of visitors or other governing body of a public institution of higher education shall adopt or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy, and no appointee, employee, or agent of the institution shall take any administrative action, governing the carrying of a concealed handgun on the property of or in buildings owned by the institution by a full-time faculty member of the institution who possesses a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit.

B. Any rule, regulation, or policy adopted by a board of visitors or governing body of a public institution of higher education prior to July 1, 2016, that would prohibit a full-time faculty member of the institution who possesses a valid Virginia concealed handgun permit from carrying a concealed handgun on the property of or in the buildings owned by the institution is invalid.