Sunday Mornings with Rania: Concealed Carry on College Campuses
Across the country, students going off to college are worried about learning how to do laundry, pay their own bills or cook a meal or two. Discussions are focused on sororities and fraternities or what courses to take and academic areas to concentrate on.
In Texas, our kids have another issue facing them and this one requires serious attention. Today, Aug. 1, marks the date when concealed handgunswill formally be allowed on the Lone Star State’s college campuses. It’s the end result of a heated and lengthy legislative battle championed by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury and state Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress. Needless to say, it’s an issue that has had colleges, professors, students, parents and school-based law enforcement spinning.
Before we jump into the details, I want to share the significance of the Aug. 1 date. It goes back to a tragic event that took place Aug. 1, 1966 when student Charles Whitman peered over the edge of the clock tower at the University of Texas at Austin and shot… and shot… and shot. Ultimately, 16 (some accounts say 17) people were killed and more than 30 others were wounded.
Lawmakers used the tragic memory of that incident as the impetus and stamp for the new era they sought to create, one where, in their minds, campus goers would now have the recourses necessary to protect themselves in the wake of any potential danger. It’s the law and we must accept it for now so let’s learn all we can about it and talk to our college students, today, tomorrow and as often as possible, about the safety of themselves and their student body.
Who can carry?
The short answer is anyone who holds a Texas handgun license. So what does it take to get one of those and how many people have one? To get a license you need to be 21 years old (18 if you are in the military). You also need to have passed both a classroom and gun range training course. Restrictions apply regarding felons (both charged and convicted) as well as those guilty of committing high-level misdemeanors. It’s significant to note that restrictions also apply to people with a history of mental illness. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety records, there are more than 1 million people in Texas with an active license to carry.
Concealed carry: A person with a license to do so can carry a concealed handgun (hidden from view) in public places, which has some restrictions. This has been the way of the land in Texas for decades. Starting today, this includes four-year public college campuses in Texas.
Open carry: A person with a license to do so can carry a handgun in plain view or out in the open. This is a new law for Texas and took effect Jan. 1, 2016. Open carry is still not permitted on any college campuses.
What does it mean for public, private and community colleges?
- The concealed campus carry law primarily applies to four-year public universities. To further clarify the law:
- Concealed handgun license holders are allowed to carry their weapon into public university buildings, classrooms and dorms.
- Public universities are allowed to designate “gun-free” zones on part (but not all) of their campuses. An example of a gun-free zone: areas where formal administrative hearings/investigations are held.
- State law still bans weapons from some campus areas including hospitals and sporting events.
- Open carry is strictly prohibited on all Texas college campuses.
Private colleges are allowed to opt out. See the list of private universities in Texas and where they stand with open carry.
Community colleges have until August 2017 to make policy and security arrangements for concealed campus carry.
What should colleges do to prepare?
Integrating this law into college life will be a complicated task and the best ways to do so will vary. Aric Short, vice dean at the Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth is quoted as calling the new law, “very emotional and somewhat controversial.” He later recognized that “people are going to disagree about how to implement it and whether the law was appropriate in the first place.” Short was among those working on the campus carry policy for the A&M Systemduring the past year. Regardless of their thoughts on the legislation, all campuses must do certain things before kids step foot on campus this fall:
- Concealed carry campuses must have signs posted outlining the new law.
- Information must be created and available for distribution to parents explaining how the new law works.
- Handbooks for students and professors must be updated.
- Lockboxes must be placed in dorms to make sure the guns stay safe.
- Professors must communicate changes in class procedure at the start of class – for example, some professors who oppose the law have already indicated that they will only be conducting “virtual” office hours (i.e., office hours via conference call, facetime or skype) so not face-to-face with a concealed weapon carrier.
- Faculty can request that weapons not be allowed in their offices if and only if they have been granted permission by the university.
How is the college community responding?
- Opponents worry that the new law will lead to an increase of campus violence, negatively affect free speech, increase campus suicide and create an environment of fear.
- Supporters argue that faculty and visitors will be able to defend and protect themselves in the wake of an active shooter or simply while walking home in the evening.
- Both feel discussions of a students’ emotional maturity is vital, especially when such student has access to a weapon.
All agree that it is absolutely critical that students report any suspicious behavior to police; that they immediately report knowledge of a student who has been depressed or talking about committing a violent act.
All agree that parents must – please – talk to your permit-holding college student about what to do in a host of scenarios including:
- What to do when witnessing someone acting out of control – please remind your college student that the first response is NOT to pull out their weapon in an effort to “keep the peace.”
- What to do if they witness a commission of crime – please remind your college student not pull out their weapon but rather to CALL 911.
- What to do if they find themselves in an active shooter situation – this is the toughest of all scenarios and your conversation will take shape depending on your college student’s age, level of experience with their handgun as well as their maturity level. Either way, talk about it now.
Remember, when law enforcement arrives, they see anyone with a weapon as a threat and target.
Conclusion
Some of us are okay with this new legislation. Some are quite honestly losing sleep over it. That said, I sincerely wonder – what do you think about it? What conversations will you be having or have you been having with your college student?
At the end of the day, Texas joins seven other states in this effort (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin) and will hopefully navigate this new world with a sense of order, safety and incredible judgement. For now, while I honor the law, I silently say a prayer for all our students…. My sincerest hope for all our kids is a safe, happy and healthy academic year.
Posted by on 7 Aug 2016
About the author
Executive Director of Crime Stoppers of Houston