UT-Austin Panel: Allow Guns in Classrooms

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, TX - Professors at the University of Texas at Austin can design their own curriculum, implement their own attendance policy and punish students for showing up late.

But soon they may not be able to prevent this: a kid from bringing a gun to class, legally.

The Campus Carry Policy Working Group, established by University President Gregory L. Fenves, released it’s implementation recommendation for “campus carry” on Thursday.

Their most notable recommendations: Guns in dorms, not allowed. Guns in classrooms, sure.

Guns have been prohibited from the UT-Austin campus for as long as anyone can remember, but that’s set to change in August. A new Texas law, passed in June, forbids officials at public universities from banning licensed holders from carrying concealed handguns on campus. Instead, they can enact “reasonable rules and regulations,” which is where the Working Group’s recommendations come into play.

The Working Group decided that guns must always either be with a licensed carrier or in a locked motor vehicle. The gun must also be placed in a holster that covers the trigger at all times.

The 19-member group put forth 25 different recommendations covering weapon carriage and storage, gun-free zones on campus, implementation measures and proactive measures.

In terms of proactive measures to alleviate any fears about guns in the community, the Working Group found that extensive safety information should be disseminated on campus and the campus should evaluate its mental health resources.

The debate on campus carry implementations focused on three key areas on the UT-Austin campus, residence halls, classrooms and faculty offices.

Here’s what the working group recommends for each locations:

Residence Halls and University Apartments

The Working Group found that guns should be prohibited in residence halls with some exceptions. These exceptions include allowing parents of residents to carry their weapons and allowing guns to be carried in common areas in residences such as study lounges. When it comes to university apartments, the Working Group ruled that guns should be allowed, but must be stored following specified standards.

Offices

When it comes to offices, the Working Group gave the occupants control over whether or not they will be gun-free. Any university staff or faculty must provide oral notice that concealed carry is prohibit in their office if they chose to keep the space gun-free. The Working Group added that if an office’s occupant regularly meets with concealed carry holders they should make arrangements to meet at a different location.

Classrooms

The most widely debated location for campus carry was the classroom, which is understandable. The classroom is one location that almost every member of the UT community uses daily. The Working Group’s decision was to allow guns in classrooms, albeit reluctantly. The group made it clear that all 19 members, including lisenced gun owners, believed that classrooms should be kept gun-free. But in the end the Working Group found that by making classrooms gun free they would be violating Senate Bill 11, which created the law.

“The primary on-campus activity for most of our more than 50,000 students is going to class. Excluding handguns from classrooms would have the effect of generally prohibiting license holders from carrying their handguns and so would violate S.B. 11,” stated the working group.

The full list of recommendations can be found here.