Last year on June 1st, 2015, a bill was signed by Governor Greg Abbott which now allows the “carrying of concealed handguns by license holders on campus; and storage of handguns in dormitories or other residential facilities” (https://campuscarry.utexas.edu/). The bill went into affect on August 1st, 2016.
The law allows private schools to decide whether or not they want to allow concealed weapons on campus, however public schools get no say. Public schools are allowed to have “safe zones” if they like, which allows that area on campus to be gun-free. There are restrictions to this law, which include first having a licence to carry a weapon. Additionally, the student or faculty has to be 21 and older to carry a gun, they are not allowed to have the gun out in the open for others to see and the licence holder cannot carry the weapon if they are under the influence. Texas is not the only state that allows guns on campus. Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin are seven other states that let students carry guns.
Many of the students and professors on campus are concerned with the new law. Some of the professors worry about inviting students alone to talk about their work and/or a failing grade in thoughts of them getting too upset and angry at them which could led to them acting out in the moment. "I do not believe handguns belong on a university campus, so this decision has been the greatest challenge of my presidency to date," the president of the University of Texas at Austin, Gregory L. Fenves, said in a statement. "However, as president, I have an obligation to uphold the law.’” (http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/02/politics/new-texas-l....).
How did the students respond? On the very first day of classes, the students brought sex toys to campus. The organizer of this protest was Jessica Jin who says “These laws won’t protect anyone. The campus doesn’t want them. It’s absurd. So, I thought, we have to fight absurdity with absurdity” (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/us/university-of... ). The students planned on strapping the toys to their backpacks and bring them to class to show how they think bringing a gun to class is ridiculous.
Along with the students of UT, I strongly believe that the carry on of guns in campus classes and dorms is crazy. I believe in the second amendment but school is supposed to be a safe area for students. I would not feel comfortable going to class knowing that some of the students there could be carrying a gun. There can also be students or professors who experience PTSD and have had traumatic experiences with guns. This law is making them sit in class with someone carrying a gun which could trigger them. I understand that people might feel ‘safer’ with the thought of carrying their handgun around for protection if something were to ever happen (which hopefully never will for them). But if the majority of the population on the campus’s are not OK with this then the law needs to be relooked at. Isn’t our government supposed to be for the people?
