The University of Texas will soon allow guns in classrooms

The University of Texas at Austin will allow anyone who has a license to carry a concealed handgun to take their weapons into classrooms, the school announced Wednesday. Campus Carry goes into effect August 1.

President Gregory Fenves reluctantly approved guidelines that comply with a state law.

The Austin campus has been a flashpoint of protests from faculty, students and staff who want to keep guns out of classrooms.

Furthermore, Fenves said that excluding licensed concealed handguns from classrooms would have that effect.

“I have appointed a Campus Carry Implementation Task Force to be led by Dr. Gerald R. Harkins, associate vice president for campus safety and security, to deal with the many aspects of implementing these policies”.

Fenves sent the report to Chancellor William McRaven this morning, according to an email, where they will be subject to Board of Regents review. Classrooms will not be included in gun exclusion zones.

Fenves said his recommendations struck a balance between implementing the law as the Legislature intended and addressing the concerns of many faculty and staff members and students opposed to the entire concept of campus carry. Specifically they say guns should be banned from dorms, offices, labs and child care facilities.

The issue is particularly sensitive given that the University of Texas at Austin was the scene of one of the nation’s first mass shootings on a college campus.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 11 into law in June 2015 to allow students 21 years or older on public college campus to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. In October, former UT Austin professor Daniel Hamermesh resigned, citing concern that the measure may increase the “risk that a disgruntled student might bring a gun into the classroom”. In the law, public universities are able to designate reasonable areas where guns are to be prohibited.

Guns will generally be banned from dorm rooms, but they will be allowed in residence hall common areas such as dining rooms and study areas.

Starr noted the school’s faculty senate and staff council had debated the matter, and student government leaders sought input through two weeks of educational events, a panel discussion, a public deliberation session, focus groups and a student online poll. But they will be banned in on-campus dorms, where the majority of students are too young to be applicable for a license to carry anyway.