In an odd coincidence, a Texas law that expands gun rights on college campuses took effect Monday, just as victims of a horrifying act of gun violence were being remembered.
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The law was approved previous year and went into effect Monday, making Texas the eighth state in the nation to allow campus carry.
As of Monday, Texas became the eighth state in the U.S.to adopt mandatory campus carrying laws.
On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman used a gun to shoot at people from high atop the university’s clock tower.
The campus-carry law pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican legislative majority makes Texas one of a handful of states guaranteeing the right to carry concealed handguns on campus.
Although colleges and universities do have the authority to regulate the concealed carry of firearms on their campuses, that power is severely limited.
Though University of Texas President Gregory Fenves was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, he’s spoken publicly about his opposition to guns on college campuses.
Supporters of the new law say that students with guns could prevent some of the carnage inflicted by someone bent on killing on campuses.
The decision to allow concealed carry on college campuses has been a point of contention among both students and legislators, with some students anxious about how guns will mix with the high pressure environment of college.
He also stresses that open-carry is still strictly prohibited throughout the university and that they do not expect campus-carry to produce many issues.
In addition to Texas, eight states allow concealed carry on campus.
Administrators, who estimate that “fewer than 1 percent” of the campus’ roughly 50,000 students are licensed to carry, last week posted an update about the provision on the UT website.
“As there are no metal detectors or other safety measures in place to enter campus, I don’t see why a bad person with a gun can’t come onto campus with or without campus carry laws in place”, he said. This is to allow them to install necessary security and other measures necessary to conform to the law.
The law does not take effect there until next year, and private schools have the choice of opting out of the law.
University of Texas at Austin professors Charters Wynn, Joan Neuberger and Ellen Spiro advocate against campus carry at a protest at the flagship on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015.
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At the University of Houston, people with concealed handgun licenses can store their weapons inside free gun safes at the police station.
