The University of Virginia announced it would be eliminating the 21-gun salute from its Veterans Day ceremony because they did not want to cause any trauma to students who might hear the gunshots.
“One is that it would be disruptive to classes and two unfortunately with gun violence in the U.S., there was some concern that we would cause a panic if someone heard gunshots on grounds,” Jim Ryan, the college’s president, told NBC29.
The decision was made by the provost’s office along with UVA’s ROTC program. The Veterans Day program at UVA has included a 21-gun salute for over a decade.
Veteran Jay Levine, who was in UVA’s ROTC program, said he was unhappy with the decision and planned to recruit other veterans to protest the school’s decision. “I am very disillusioned, very upset, and very surprised that they would make such a decision,” Levine said.
UVA’s Veterans Day ceremony is held for 24-hours from Monday at 4 p.m. until Tuesday. The 21-gun salute typically follows the conclusion of the event.
