More than 50 professors from the University of Texas at Austin have signed a letter protesting campus carry on the campus. Breitbart Texas reported on October 8th that an economics professor emeritus from the University of Texas in Austin resigned expressing in his resignation letter, a fear that law abiding students with concealed handguns might shoot him.
Breitbart Texas’ Bob Price was with the Governor on the day he signed the campus carry bill and the open carry bill into law on June 13. As reported by Price, the campus carry law will take effect on August 1, 2016 for all institutions of higher education except for community colleges. The effective date for these campuses is August 1, 2017. The bill was authored by Brian Birdwell, Paul Bettencourt, and a host of other state senators.
The Austin American-Statesman reported that the letter from the university professors at the Austin campus said, “There is no empirical evidence whatsoever that the presence of concealed guns on campus will promote student safety, and ample reason to believe that it will lead to harm.”
The statement continued, “Shootings give rise to situations marked by panic, confusion, and terror, conditions under which judgment, especially among individuals who are untrained and inexperienced in such situations, is impaired. Because we are personally and professionally committed to promoting the physical and mental well being of children, adolescents, and adults, we strenuously object to this law and to the presence of concealed guns in campus buildings.”
A list of the names of the professors opposing the right to carry on campus was published by the Statesman.
Breitbart Texas reported on October 8 that an economics professor emeritus from the University of Texas in Austin resigned expressing in his resignation letter, a fear that law abiding students with concealed handguns might shoot him.
Senate Bill 11 has been called a “watered-down” version of the bill because it gives universities the discretion to determine where and how concealed handguns will be permitted on campus. Private universities will be able to opt out of campus carry altogether. The proposed law had come under fire during the 2015 Texas legislature.
As reported, the Conference Committee put in a provision to allow individual universities to be able to establish “reasonable rules” and restrictions on where they are carried and how they are stored for reasons of public safety. The bill was saved when the House sponsor, State Representative Allen Fletcher (R-Cypress) rescued the bill by getting some compromises added and getting the bill passed before the midnight deadline where it would have otherwise died. Fletcher said he did not want a watered down version of the bill, but said he recognized there were legitimate places where universities would not want guns allowed. Some of those include the National Biocontainment Laboratory in Galveston and other areas where there would be close proximity to an MRI machine.
A student on a public university or college campus would have to be 21 in order to qualify for a concealed carry permit.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and an associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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