AUSTIN, Texas — The recent shooting at the University of Texas (UT) has rekindled a debate about allowing handguns on college campuses in Texas.
Currently, concealed handgun license holders are prohibited from carrying weapons on campus. However, Gov. Rick Perry believes that licensed gun owners should be allowed to carry guns on campus so that they can intervene if an incident occurs, reports NewsOK.com. Others, such as police groups, believe that allowing concealed-carry weapons on campus will only cause confusion during a crisis.
Perry’s Democratic opponent in the governor’s race maintains that individual campuses should decide whether concealed weapons should be allowed on campus and that state policymakers should not be permitted to make the decision.
Last year, UT students held an anti-gun rally in protest of a bill that would have allowed students, faculty and administrators to carry concealed handguns on campus. Students marched to the state Capitol, arguing that more guns on campus would not improve campus security.
The bill was passed in the Senate; however, the House rejected it.
