Texas Students for Concealed Carry Opposes HB 234 and HB 255

Texas Gun iStock-884200682
Texas Students for Concealed Carry Opposes HB 234 and HB 255 IMG iStock-884200682

The Texas chapter of Students for Concealed Carry formally opposes Texas House Bills 234 and 255, on the grounds that these bills would allow state institutions (e.g., public colleges) to create additional honor-system-based “gun-free” zones on public property (e.g., college campuses). These bills by Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) run counter to SCC’s position that state institutions should be required to honor state-issued concealed handgun licenses.

Brian Bensimon, Southwest regional director for SCC, commented:

Gun-free zones only enhance public safety if they are enforced with metal detectors and armed guards. In the context of these bills, such measures would only be financially feasible at professional and collegiate sporting events, where concealed carry is statutorily prohibited under current law. As SCC has said since its founding, a “gun-free” zone that is gun-free in name only serves only to stack the odds in favor of any criminal or lunatic willing to disregard the rules.

Institutions such as the University of Texas and Central Texas College are already stretching the limits of Texas’ campus carry law. Let’s not make the problem worse by giving public institutions additional discretion to prohibit licensed concealed carry.


ABOUT STUDENTS FOR CONCEALED CARRY

Students for Concealed Carry (SCC) is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization comprising college students, faculty, staff, and concerned citizens who believe that holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else. SCC is not affiliated with the NRA or any other organization. For more information on SCC, visit ConcealedCampus.org or Facebook.com/ConcealedCampus. For more information on the debate over campus carry in Texas, visit WhyCampusCarry.com or tweet @CampusCarry.

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

4 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
oldshooter

An important argument, too seldom heard, is that no law has ever, or could ever, stop or prevent a crime. All laws can possibly do is to increase the penalty, ie, the personal “cost,” of certain behaviors. So laws in general, function much like padlocks, they only keep honest people honest. Since many “mass shooters” intend from the outset, to die (either by suicide or at the hands of LEOs) after completing their depredations, it is impossible to impose any significant penalty through the law, that would impact them. Kind of like laws against suicide; if someone commits suicide in… Read more »

Darren P.

What is so.HARD for people to.understand that personal security is ultimately up to the individual, and how you chose to defend one’s self is only your business. How you walk into a “gun free zone” is completely up to you if you decide to actually walk into one.

Heed the Call-up

I believe the issue is that most people prefer to follow the law and not be in violation, even if they are not discovered/caught, since being CC should not be observed. There are some states where the “No Guns” signs carry the rule of law and carrying is illegal; there are other states, such as mine, Virginia, where those signs do not carry the rule of law. One is only committing a misdemeanor trespassing for not leaving when asked, if you are carrying and found to be and don’t leave. I either don’t go to those places, or if I… Read more »

oldshooter

I think you are correct, at least for typical “law-abiding” type folks. The bad guys will still carry anywhere they want, regardless of any laws or signage prohibiting it. The underlying problem I see here, is that the denial of the right to carry a gun for self-defense is a fairly clear violation of constitutionally protected civil/human rights, and in TX, where these students are located, the public universities are constantly trying to limit the ability of students (and visitors) to exercise their rights as much as they can get away with. Since there is not even any significant public… Read more »