New law has been approved in US’ Texas state that allows students to carry guns onto the campuses of public universities across the state.
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Texas became the eighth U.S. state to allow guns on university campuses, joining seven other states which allow concealed guns on campuses, including Oregon, Colorado and Wisconsin.
According to the state “campus carry” law, students aged 21 or over can take guns into classrooms and buildings throughout public colleges if they have a concealed handgun licence.
Supporters of the campus carry law say its impact is overstated, because most students won’t be old enough to legally carry concealed weapons.
A police officer stands in front of the University of Texas tower, from which a sniper 50 years ago launched a shooting rampage that left 16 people dead, during a memorial in Austin, Texas on August 1, 2016.
Texas’ Republican-majority Legislature passed the law in 2015 over similar objections from student and faculty groups, most notably at the Austin campus.
While private universities have been allowed to refuse the new measure and open carry remains banned, public colleges will now allow for concealed handguns in the classroom.
The new law makes Texas the eighth state to allow campus carry.
Private universities can opt out of the new law, and most have.
Students on campus have varying opinions on the law, ranging from for to against and even indifferent.
Officials with A&M-Texarkana have been preparing for the law to go into effect for more than year, and have policies in place to reflect the new law. Monday was the first day of campus carry for the school.
“Concealed wouldn’t be that much of a problem.as long as you’re not seeing it.” school senior Redi Neziri said. “I don’t believe we are less safe either way, I don’t believe that a gun automatically creates a risk”. There are already 21 other states that allow the decision to be decided by the individual colleges. Meanwhile, 18 states and Washington, D.C., either prohibit guns on campus or allow colleges to decide for themselves whether to allow guns on campus.
“I can see both sides honestly”, said a student from the same school, Kate Thompson. “You just hear a lot of these bad things about these shootings, and i want to protect myself”, she added.
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UT Austin president Greg Fenves is vocally opposed to it, the school’s Dean of Architecture resigned over it, and three professors are suing over it.
