Concealed Carry on College Campuses

[Douva]

Hello Fellow Texas CHL Holders,

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Scott Lewis, and I'm an advisor/former national media coordinator for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (http://www.ConcealedCampus.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). I'm posting to make sure that you're all aware that there will be a bill aimed at legalizing concealed carry on college campuses before the Texas legislature during the 2009 session and that there is now a "Concealed Carry on College Campuses" forum (http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... m.php?f=90" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) here on TexasCHLForum.com.

--W. Scott Lewis

[Keith B]

Welcome Scott. Glad to have you on the forum. Thanks for all you have done and keep up the wonderful work!

[srothstein]

Welcome Scott. This is one bill I will be happy to support.

[CompVest]

+1

[chewy555]

Welcome Scott. This is one bill that I hope makes it through, as I started back to college this semester.

[flintknapper]

Welcome Scott. Glad to have you on the forum. Thanks for all you have done and keep up the wonderful work!

+1

Welcome, and Thank You!

[pedalman]

Hi, Scott. I'm glad you are here.

Out of curiosity, how does this bill affect campus employees? As a college employee, I could be fired for just having my sidearm locked in my vehicle on a campus parking lot. Is this a separate issue to be covered by different legislation?

[Douva]

Hi, Scott. I'm glad you are here.

Out of curiosity, how does this bill affect campus employees? As a college employee, I could be fired for just having my sidearm locked in my vehicle on a campus parking lot. Is this a separate issue to be covered by different legislation?

If the bill is written as we hope and anticipate it will be, it will do two things:

1. It will remove colleges and institutions of postsecondary education from the list of places where concealed carry is prohibited by state law.

2. It will dictate that tax-funded state colleges be required to honor state-issued licenses (similar to the current law that preempts state and municipal offices from prohibiting concealed carry).

Therefore, concealed carry would not only be legal on college campuses; it would also be illegal for administrators at public colleges to take administrative or disciplinary action against licensed students or faculty who choose to carry concealed handguns on campus.

[pedalman]

If the bill is written as we hope and anticipate it will be, it will do to things:

1. It will remove colleges and institutions of postsecondary education from the list of places where concealed carry is prohibited by state law.

2. It will dictate that tax-funded state colleges be required to honor state-issued licenses (similar to the current law that preempts state and municipal offices from prohibiting concealed carry).

Therefore, concealed carry would not only be legal on college campuses; it would also be illegal for administrators at public colleges to take administrative or disciplinary action against licensed students or faculty who choose to carry concealed handguns on campus.

You may want to be careful on that phrasing. A college employee is not necessarily a faculty member. A college employee can also be a professional/technical staff member, or a classified employee (a "grunt" to those with prior military experience).

In my case, I am one of the "grunts". If the language specifically says "faculty", then all of us "grunts" would be excluded.

[Douva]

At the risk of sounding like every other organization out there, SCCC desperately needs money for things like buying handbooks for legislators, purchasing advertising, etc. If you can make a donation, please do so (http://www.ConcealedCampus.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). And if you or anyone you know can donate services (fundraising, printing, billboard hosting, etc.), please let us know. We're looking for all the support we can get. Thank you!

[pedalman]

Your point is well-taken.

[Douva]

If the bill is written as we hope and anticipate it will be, it will do to things:

1. It will remove colleges and institutions of postsecondary education from the list of places where concealed carry is prohibited by state law.

2. It will dictate that tax-funded state colleges be required to honor state-issued licenses (similar to the current law that preempts state and municipal offices from prohibiting concealed carry).

Therefore, concealed carry would not only be legal on college campuses; it would also be illegal for administrators at public colleges to take administrative or disciplinary action against licensed students or faculty who choose to carry concealed handguns on campus.

You may want to be careful on that phrasing. A college employee is not necessarily a faculty member. A college employee can also be a professional/technical staff member, or a classified employee (a "grunt" to those with prior military experience).

In my case, I am one of the "grunts". If the language specifically says "faculty", then all of us "grunts" would be excluded.

Don't worry. The way it's going to be worded, it will apply to all CHL holders. Though I said "faculty," "staff" or "faculty and staff" might have been more accurate.

[Purplehood]

Faculty, Staff and Grunts?

You will have my vote.

Come to think of it, I knew a girl at UH-D that was a CHL holder. Never realized she was violating the law at the time by carrying on campus.

[lj bluesboy]

Good to see you here, Scott. If this bill passes I just might have to come back and go to school in Texas!

[Greybeard]

From Senator Wentworth's Fall 2008 Newsletter:

"Concealed Handguns on University Campuses
Currently, concealed handguns are not allowed on college campuses. Mass murders on the campuses of Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University may well have taken far fewer lives had a person with a license to carry a concealed handgun been at the scene.
In an effort to prevent such a senseless tragedy on a Texas college or university campus, I will introduce a bill that will allow persons who are licensed to carry a concealed weapon to do so on a college campus. Because most college students are 17, 18, 19 or 20 years old, and because only persons who are 21 years of age or older may be licensed to carry a concealed weapon in Texas (with a couple of exceptions for honorably discharged or active duty military) very few college students would be eligible to carry a weapon on campus, and those who do would have to be trained and licensed before they could."