Guns on Campus Becoming Reality

Guns may start appearing on campuses in Texas, and those legally. 

Over the summer the Texas House of Rrepresenatives, by a large majority vote, sent a bill to the Texas Senate which would put the Campus Personal Protection Act on the path to becoming a law. The Senate didn't bring the measure to the floor for a vote.

Had the law passed this year, institutions of higher education would no longer be gun-free zones. The law would allow for licensed individuals to carry their concealed handgun on campus.

Rebekah Johnson, the daughter of an ex-police officer, grew up around guns and says the idea of weapons on campus does not bother her.

“I think if it [the law] is used properly it will be okay,” Johnson said.

She pointed out that there are certain regulations in order to be licensed. According to Texas Department of Public Safety these regulations include being of 21 years in age, passing a proficiency test, passing a background check and meeting other federal qualifications.

Another student at Angelo State University, Dylan Simkins, said his opinion on the subject does not vary too much from Johnson’s.

“I am all for it,” he said 

Simkins comes from a family with a military background and owns two different guns himself. He said he does not believe that his learning environment would be affected by the law.

Although both Johnson and Simkins know how to shoot a gun neither of the two said they would carry their gun on campus regularly.

Johnson said, “I don’t see any need for it.”

When asked what the main danger is in regards to guns in today’s society, the two students said mental health issues.

A counselor at ASU said that it is both guns and mental health issues that play a part in gun violence.

“In many cases I do see it as a mental health issue,” he said

When asked whether allowing students to carry concealed handguns on campus would affect the safety of t the counselor that works with students at ASU dealing with mental health problems responded with a solid yes.

He said, “The Association of Counselors in Texas has come out with a statement saying that they feel there is too much risk in allowing people to carry weapons on campus other than campus security.”

Elizabeth Vest, a sophomore at ASU, said her greatest fear is that students who need medication for their mental illnesses will not take their medication.

“It would make me feel less safe," Vest said of her peers being allowed to carry guns on campus.

The bill, Texas House Bill 972, died in the 2013 Texas Legislature session. It passed the lower chamber, the Texas House by a large majority, 102-41.  However, the Texas Senate did not bring it to the floor for a vote. San Angelo's State Representative Drew Darby voted in favor of the bill. The Texas Legislature meets every two years and, considering the large majority in the Texas House supporting campus carry, it certainly will be brought forward again.