Bd. of Regents Should Have No Say in Campus-Carry

[Charles L. Cotton]

Self-defense is a statewide constitutional issue, not a local issue.

Two “gun bills” were the subject of a public hearing on Thursday, February 12, 2015 in the Senate State Affairs Committee. SB11 is this session’s campus-carry bill and SB17 a/k/a SB346 would allow people with a Texas Concealed Handgun License (CHL) to carry their self-defense handgun either openly or concealed. It was a very long day for everyone and the testimony was pretty much what one would expect. This article will address only SB11, campus-carry. . . .

Full article: http://www.TexasFirearmsCoalition.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

Crossfire posted the following on her Facebook page yesterday:

Just wanted to offer up a couple of quotes from the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on the Campus Carry Bill -

From UT Chancellor, William McRaven: "In light of all these concerns and apprehensions, I feel the presence of concealed weapons will make a campus a less-safe environment."

From Texas A&M Chancellor, John Sharp: "I cannot speak to the effect campus carry would have on other institutions and their students. However, I have complete trust and faith in our students. Having licensed gun owners in possession of legal weapons on our campuses does not raise safety concerns for me personally. The real question is this: Do I trust my students, faculty, and staff to work and live responsibly under the same laws at the university as they do at home? Of course I do!"

I went to A&M, so I am biased anyway, but for certain I would encourage my own kids and grandkids to choose A&M over UT for this reason alone......

.....excluding the fact that they'll get a better education at A&M than UT.

[K5GU]

Crossfire posted the following on her Facebook page yesterday:

Just wanted to offer up a couple of quotes from the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on the Campus Carry Bill -

From UT Chancellor, William McRaven: "In light of all these concerns and apprehensions, I feel the presence of concealed weapons will make a campus a less-safe environment."

From Texas A&M Chancellor, John Sharp: "I cannot speak to the effect campus carry would have on other institutions and their students. However, I have complete trust and faith in our students. Having licensed gun owners in possession of legal weapons on our campuses does not raise safety concerns for me personally. The real question is this: Do I trust my students, faculty, and staff to work and live responsibly under the same laws at the university as they do at home? Of course I do!"

I went to A&M, so I am biased anyway, but for certain I would encourage my own kids and grandkids to choose A&M over UT for this reason alone......

.....excluding the fact that they'll get a better education at A&M than UT.

[J.R.@A&M]

Amen. Thank you for this article.

[Oldgringo]

Let me see if I've got this right, U.T. is in Austin and TAM is out in the country somewhere. Is that right?

[Cedar Park Dad]

Let me see if I've got this right, U.T. is in Austin and TAM is out in the country somewhere. Is that right?

UT Austin is in a quaint northern California college town called Austin . UT Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso are in different Texas cities.

Aggieville is in Bryan, out in the country, not far outside the 4th largest city in the US.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Self-defense is a statewide constitutional issue, not a local issue.

Two “gun bills” were the subject of a public hearing on Thursday, February 12, 2015 in the Senate State Affairs Committee. SB11 is this session’s campus-carry bill and SB17 a/k/a SB346 would allow people with a Texas Concealed Handgun License (CHL) to carry their self-defense handgun either openly or concealed. It was a very long day for everyone and the testimony was pretty much what one would expect. This article will address only SB11, campus-carry. . . .

Full article: http://www.TexasFirearmsCoalition.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I understand their point, I just don't agree with it. If its a public university its no different then any other similar entity.

[The Annoyed Man]

Let me see if I've got this right, U.T. is in Austin and TAM is out in the country somewhere. Is that right?

Uh, no. I live in the DFW metroplex.

But if you meant TAMU, then no..... it isn't out in the country somewhere. It is in College Station, a city of a little over 100,000 inhabitants, and right next door to Bryan, population 79,000.

[Crossfire]

College Station IS a small town, considering that, by comparison, TAMU has an enrollment of about 40,000.

I am proud to say that two of our kiddos, and our son from another mother (son-in-law), graduated from the A&M system.

And, although the youngest didn't go to A&M, at least she didn't go to UT!

[Oldgringo]

Let me see if I've got this right, U.T. is in Austin and TAM is out in the country somewhere. Is that right?

UT Austin is in a quaint northern California college town called Austin . UT Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso are in different Texas cities.

Aggieville is in Bryan, out in the country, not far outside the 4th largest city in the US.

WINNER! Give the man a cigar, Bill.

NO, not that one, give him a new one.

[J.R.@A&M]

Borrowing from Charles' article, I incorporated the following into a comment on the (laughable) Texas Observer website:

"...The main issue is this: Neither Collin Goddard nor the Whitman massacre survivors nor my system chancellor can say anything about what my situational needs will be in the extremely unlikely, but potentially catastrophic event of an active shooter in my university building. I prefer to have the same choices inside the building that I have outside. It is not the purview of university/system administration to make security choices for me (unless, of course, they are willing to pay for guards and metal detectors at the entrances to university buildings, which they most certainly are not). Security and self defense issues are the purview of the state legislature, similarly to issues like the legal drinking age, voting age, sexual consent age, etc. ..."

[Jason K]

Crossfire posted the following on her Facebook page yesterday:

Just wanted to offer up a couple of quotes from the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on the Campus Carry Bill -

From UT Chancellor, William McRaven: "In light of all these concerns and apprehensions, I feel the presence of concealed weapons will make a campus a less-safe environment."

From Texas A&M Chancellor, John Sharp: "I cannot speak to the effect campus carry would have on other institutions and their students. However, I have complete trust and faith in our students. Having licensed gun owners in possession of legal weapons on our campuses does not raise safety concerns for me personally. The real question is this: Do I trust my students, faculty, and staff to work and live responsibly under the same laws at the university as they do at home? Of course I do!"

I went to A&M, so I am biased anyway, but for certain I would encourage my own kids and grandkids to choose A&M over UT for this reason alone......

.....excluding the fact that they'll get a better education at A&M than UT.

Considering Baylor's BoR is sounding more like UT than TAMU, I may have to add a little more maroon to my wardrobe.....

[oohrah]

Jason, do you have a reference?

During the 2013 session, when campus carry was introduced, only ~100 of the 800+ Baylor faculty signed a petition opposing campus carry, and last semester, the student senate voted to allow campus carry (later vetoed by the senate president).

However, like you, I remain leery. If SB 11 becomes law, I have a feeling BU will opt out.

[Jason K]

Jason, do you have a reference?

During the 2013 session, when campus carry was introduced, only ~100 of the 800+ Baylor faculty signed a petition opposing campus carry, and last semester, the student senate voted to allow campus carry (later vetoed by the senate president).

However, like you, I remain leery. If SB 11 becomes law, I have a feeling BU will opt out.

Go with that feeling.....
http://m.wacotrib.com/opinion/letters_t ... l?mode=jqm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr. Burleson is associate dean for undergraduate studies of the College of Arts and Sciences and senior lecturer in religion at Baylor University where he teaches world religions.

[Deltaboy]

I agree they should have no say. We had guns on campus back in the 1980's and folks forget it was students at Texas that had their deer rifles in their dorms and fought back against the Texas Tower shooter.