Citizens
Respond After Two Years of Campus Carry Laws
By: Veronica
Tierno
SAN MARCOS,
Texas- After two years of Campus Carry Laws being in place, the community
shares their thoughts and feedback on the Issue.
A law passed
two years ago that allowed qualified concealed carry license holders to carry
on campus. With about half of Texas State’s 39,000 students being eligible to
carry a concealed gun on campus, this has raised concerns throughout the
community.
One Texas State student, Megan Hazelwood, 21,
doesn’t like the idea of students carrying weapons because it feels unsettling
to her. “I know that this law is supposed to act as a deterrent, but if someone
is crazy enough, the law isn’t going to stop them,” Hazelwood said.
 |
| Summer Cutrer Tierno, 35 PhD Candidate for Higher Education University of Southern Mississippi |
Jordan
Crawford, 21, agrees with her. “I’m not a fan of it,” Crawford said. “I don’t
think that more guns are the answer and knowing that random students have them
makes me uneasy.” This is a feeling that a lot of students and parents share.
As Summer
Cutrer Tierno, 35, step-mother of the author, and mother of four said however,
“no law is perfect, and no law will make everyone happy.” She believes college
campuses should be able to “diverge from state laws. It is vital to understand
the differences of cultures faculty and students have on a campus,” she said.
“If these are not respected, a campus can crash and burn.”
It is not
only Students that are affected though, teachers have also been legally allowed
to have guns in the classroom and people have mixed feelings about this.
John
Stevenson, 21, doesn’t believe teachers should be armed. “They have so much on
their plate already, it’s not something they should worry about,” he said. “On
top of having a gun, you have to be trained.”
“I am
affected personally because I am currently looking for a position as a
professor,” said Tierno, a PhD Candidate for Higher Education Administration at
the University of Southern Mississippi. “I will have to deal with such issues .
. . as soon as I am in the classroom.”
 |
| Victoria Reyna, 19 Texas State Student |
Victoria Reyna, 19, recommended improving school’s safety and education
by getting together and trying new precautions. “When I was in high school . .
. we used to have to scan out thumb print to make sure that we were a student
and would keep a log to see when we left and when we arrived at school,” Reyna
said. “It’s a much better precaution to guarantee our safety,” but this was in
another state and people carry different cultural standards there.
 |
| Zachary Fowler, 23 Texas State Graduate |
One student,
Zachary Fowler, 23, thinks if the license holder has the proper documents and
training, he is okay with the campus carry laws. “The verification process,
from my understanding, is pretty elaborate, so I think that alone weeds out the
irresponsible individuals,” he said.
Though
people may be uncomfortable with the idea of having students, teachers and
staff carrying guns around campus, the fact of the matter is, the new laws have
not changed much of the culture and campus life at Texas State.
If you have
any questions about the campus carry laws, please visit http://www.txstate.edu/campuscarry
for more details.
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