By: Matthew Lopez
Mjl111@txstate.edu
SAN MARCOS, Texas --- Two years after a controversial gun
law was passed and put into effect, the community speaks out on how it has affected
them.
The “Campus Carry” law was put into place on August 1, 2016.
The law allowed military veterans and anyone over the age of 21 with a Concealed
Handgun License (CHL) to carry their guns onto any college campus. When the law
was established, there was a lot of controversy and backlash from students and
faculty members about their safety on campus.
Kristi Madden, an Administrative Assistant at Texas State
University, said the law wasn’t a good idea because it jeopardized the safety
of the environment.
“I didn’t think that campus carry should be an option,” Madden
said. “I feel like any school, university should be a safe place. That everyone
that is there, student, faculty, staff, that you should feel safe in your environment.
And I don’t feel like letting people carry their own guns makes everyone safe.”
Roxanna Torres, 22, said she was scared when she first found
out about the passing of the law.
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| Roxanna Torres, 22 |
“I was actually scared at first because I didn’t really know
much about it,” Torres said. “I think everyone’s initial reaction was just that
since it’s already easy to get a gun nowadays, everyone is just going to have
one on campus.”
One of the main concerns following the law was how easy it
was for an individual to obtain a CHL. Many argued whether or not people needed
to go through a specific training or test to determine if they could handle a
gun safely on campus.
Elliot Golden, a 23-year-old veteran, said he believes that there
should be a stricter screening process into obtaining a CHL.
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| Elliot Golden, 23 |
“As a veteran myself, I don’t even think I
should be able to have one,” Golden said. “There are all kinds of reasons,
mental health, history, stress, and so on, that contribute to the ability to
use a gun safely. And getting a CHL is too easy, and doesn’t take all of that
into account in a thorough way.”
Although CHL screenings haven’t changed much over the years,
some people’s views on the campus carry law have.
Clay Shetters, 40, didn’t support campus carry in the beginning
but after some time, his views on the law began to shift.
“I think there are bad people in the world and sometimes it
would be ideal to protect yourself from them,” Shetters said. “With the events
that have been happening throughout the country with school shootings, my
support for the bill has increased.”
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| Clay Shetters, 40 |
With all the recent mass shootings in America, many which
have occurred on school campuses, one of the main goals of this law was to
hopefully give students and faculty the opportunity to stop a school shooting
if it happened.
Dylan Dembowski, a 22-year-old public relations major, said
ever since the law was put it into place, he feels the environment on campus
has gotten safer.
“I feel like it is a safer environment because it is a
strong deterrent,” Dembowski said. “It lets other shooters know there is a
chance that they can get shot back. I would take it [my gun] to campus since I
know I have a better chance of surviving if something bad happens.”
However, on the opposing side, Kira Fredricks, 38, said the
thought of her having to possibly be responsible for a gun frightens her.
“I am not too sure how I feel about teachers and guns,”
Fredricks said. “I am a teacher, and just the thought of having a gun in my classroom
freaks me out. I would be scared to be held accountable for that gun. “
As the controversy still carries on, whether one is for the
campus carry law or against it, it is clear that everyone shares the same goal
of just wanting to feel safe on school grounds.
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