Guns on Campus: A Look at the First Year of Concealed Carry at Texas Universities

After years of failed attempts, the Texas Legislature passed "campus carry" in 2015. Under the new law, effective in 2016 for four-year institutions, public universities must allow the concealed carry of handguns by license holders on their premises. Texas's campus carry law is unique when compared to other states that allow concealed carry on college campuses: each university is given the flexibility to create weapons implementation plans, including the establishment of limited gun-free zones. The first year of campus carry implementation by Texas universities has been relatively quiet, with generally uniform implementation rules established by colleges across the state. However, universities have chosen to exempt out various locations and activities where guns should not be allowed. The flexible Texas law is a model that other states should look to if they are moving towards implementation of campus carry.

Guns on Campus: A Look at the First Year of Concealed Carry at Texas Universities Academic Article