Universities in the Central Texas area have finalized their policies for implementing the state law, known as Senate Bill 11, which permits concealed carrying of handguns on college campuses and requires public institutions to allow guns on parts of their campuses with exceptions.
Here's what you need to know about the law:
1. The concealed carry law only applies to universities ... for now.
SB 11 takes effect Aug. 1, 2017 for community colleges, so community colleges have another year to implement campus carry. The Austin Community College system is watching how four-year institutions’ policies are received before crafting its own.
2. Openly carrying firearms is still illegal on college campuses.
Open carry, also known as House Bill 910, which allows license holders to openly carry holstered handguns in public spaces, is still prohibited at all colleges.
3. Private institutions can opt out of campus carry.
Concordia, Huston-Tillotson, St. Edward’s and Southwestern universities have decided to not put SB 11 into effect on their Central Texas campuses.
4. The law goes into effect on the 5oth anniversary of the UT Tower shooting.
Aug. 1 also marks the 50th anniversary of the UT Tower shooting, when gunman Charles Whitman opened fire on 49 people and killed 16. A ceremony is taking place to dedicate a memorial to the victims of the tragedy.
How is The University of Texas at Austin handling the new law?
The University of Texas system’s presidents have put weapons policies into place for their respective campus locations, said Robert Harkins, associate vice president for campus safety and security at The University of Texas at Austin.
“The law allows for a university president to exclude handguns based on the uniqueness of the campus and safety,” Harkins said. “[At UT-Austin], we’ve approached things differently—our definition of how we exclude [concealed handguns] in labs, our take on the sole occupant office issue [to permit handguns or not] and [our] residence hall policy.”
About 380 of the 1,800 labs on the University of Texas at Austin campus are exempt from the concealed carry requirement because they involve highly hazardous materials, he said. Concealed handguns may be excluded in individual—not shared—faculty and staff offices if the occupant decides to prohibit the weapons and orally states his or her policy such as informing a class of students that handguns will not be accepted during an office visit, he said. Concealed guns are not permitted to be stored in residence halls overnight, although guests can conceal carry while visiting residents, and guns can be concealed in cars parked in university lots, he said.
Recently, the university ruled that chambered rounds are permitted in a concealed carry situation.
Harkins said he does not believe the new law will prompt greater violent acts on campus.
“I think it’s going to be like it was in Colorado—a lot of angst until [the new law] has been enacted,” he said. “Once it has been enacted, we’ll get back to the process of learning and teaching.”
Harkins said that because SB 11 concerns only concealed carry, students will not notice a difference on campus since they cannot see the handgun that an individual may be carrying.
“If you see a gun [on campus], call 911 and we’ll sort it out,” Harkins advises students and personnel.
For more information on UT’s campus carry policies visit its website dedicated to informing the public on the new law.
What does the opposition say?
State Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) said the law makes Texas institutions of higher learning less safe. She also said she would work in the next legislative session to give public universities the ability to opt out of allowing guns on their campuses.
"Guns have no place at institutions of higher learning, and it's quite telling that 37 of the state's 38 private higher education institutions—who were given the authority to opt out of campus carry—have decided to continue banning firearms,” Howard said.
