Texas lawmakers are debating whether to allow people to carry concealed firearms on public university property, legislation that was narrowly defeated in 2011 according to the
Austin American-Statesman.
The bill would also allow private colleges and universities to decide whether to permit or prohibit concealed weapons on campus.
Carrying a concealed handgun on grounds of hospitals, preschools and elementary and secondary schools located on college property would remain illegal, the Statesman reported.
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State Sen. Brian Birdwell proposed the legislation. “For me, this isn’t just about the firearm,” he explained. “It’s about trusting citizens with their God-given, constitutional rights.”
The bill has already received the support of the Texas State Rifle Association. According to Alice Tripp, the group's legislative director, “There’s a more compelling reason than ever for adults with a concealed handgun license attending a college or university [to] be allowed to have that personal protection option.”
However, John Woods, the lead organizer for Students for Gun-Free Schools in Texas and a survivor of the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech, disagrees, along with administration officials at the University of Texas.
“I talk to a lot of people that were [at Virginia Tech], and not a single one of the survivors think [a law like this] would help in any way,” Woods said.
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