“Apparently the professor thinks that a person that is angry enough over his grades to come into a classroom and shoot a professor would be intimidated enough by a law prohibiting a concealed handgun to change his mind and not shoot”, said Texas State Representative Allen Fletcher (R-Cypress), the House sponsor of the Campus Carry Law (SB11), in an interview with Breitbart Texas on Tuesday. The perception is that UT Austin and other public universities will be full of guns.
Advertisement
According to a press release from the Department of Public Safety, the University has assigned the group with the responsibility to develop a campus carry policy compliant with the new law. Campus carry does not allow everyone to have guns on campus, it only extends the rights of concealed handgun license holders to carry in buildings on campus.
People who support the law said guns inside classrooms could prevent another mass shooting.
On the other end of the debate, those who are opposed to the new law argue that more guns means more violence. Moreover, campus carry allows professors to bring weapons as well.
“My guess is somebody thinking about coming to Texas is going to think twice about being a professor here”, Hamermesh wrote. UT Austin says less than one percent of students have concealed handgun licenses.
The article states that this statistic makes sense because CHL holders are among the most law-abiding citizens: “In …” Fletcher is a retired police officer. The focus needs to be on improving mental stability of people who misuse guns, and on ensuring that routes to illegal acquisition of firearms are blocked. Already a few students and faculty said they won’t feel safe if guns are allowed in dorms and classrooms.
The idea that someone carrying a concealed gun, “that no one would know is there”, and that classroom discussion “could cause someone to use deadly force against someone is basically ridiculous”, Fletcher said.
Sammy Minkowitz is a government and economics sophomore from Houston.
Advertisement
“It’s my contention, but I believe over the last 20 years, the men and women [who carry concealed firearms] have continued to do so every now and then”, Fletcher told The Huffington Post.
