Students, parents and police testified Thursday on four bills that would allow some people to carry guns onto college campuses in Texas.
People crammed into a room at the Capitol to testify before the . One of the bills the committee is considering would allow anyone with a concealed handgun license to carry a weapon at a public university.
Private universities would be allowed to opt out entirely. And public universities could decide whether guns could be brought into dormitories.
Nick Mitchell, a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, says the measure would make students feel unsafe, not protected.
鈥淎 university is a place for learning,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淎nd if we feel uncomfortable in our classrooms, uncomfortable in our libraries, that makes it more difficult for us to achieve the learning that we need to create a future for ourselves."
David Bloom, a second-year student at Texas Tech in Lubbock, disagrees. He wants students and staff to have options if they encounter someone violent on campus.
鈥淚鈥檓 not asking that a concealed carrier walk out in the hallway and engage,鈥� Bloom said. 鈥淚鈥檓 simply asking that I have something other than a ball point pen, if something were to happen at my university, to watch the door.鈥�
Lawmakers have yet to vote on any of the campus carry bills.
