Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed “campus carry” legislation Tuesday that would have allowed college students to carry concealed guns onto campuses with some restrictions, according to CNN.

The measure would have allowed anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on public colleges or university campuses, with the exception of dormitories, fraternities, and sorority houses, as well as athletic events.

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Opponents of House Bill 859, which included the University System of Georgia chancellor and presidents of the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech, said the measure, if passed, would make it harder for campus police to protect the college community.

Conservatives and Second Amendment activists, however, said House Bill 859 was a critical measure for members of the school community to protect themselves, CNN reports.

If gun violence on college campuses was the motivation for the bill, the General Assembly should instead consider harsher penalties for the unauthorized possession or use of firearms on college campuses, Gov. Deal said.

“If the intent of HB 859 is to increase safety of students on college campuses, it is highly questionable that such would be the result,” Deal said in a statement. “From the early days of our nation and state, colleges have been treated as sanctuaries of learning where firearms have not been allowed. To depart from such time-honored protections should require overwhelming justification. I do not find that such justification exists.”