The University of Virginia announced last week that they were ending their annual 21-gun salute as part of their Veterans Day ceremony.
The celebration was ended after more than a decade due to fears that students would face trauma from the noise of the gun shots. The ceremony comes at the end of a 24 hour vigil from ROTC cadets that occurs every year at the university. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Says She Might Confiscate ‘As Many As 10 Million’ Guns)
“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,” Virginia President Jim Ryan, said according to NBC 29.
Students return to the University of Virginia for the fall semester on August 19, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Some veterans and ROTC members were upset at the university’s decision, saying that it got them by surprise. (RELATED: Oldest World War Two Veteran Dies At 112)
“I am very disillusioned, very upset, and very surprised that they would make such a decision,” veteran Jay Levine said, according to NBC 29. “Freedom isn’t free. There’s a cost and that cost is born by the veterans and the families of those veterans.”
Ceremonies took place across the country Monday to honor America on Veterans Day.