Campus carry survey asks for student input
The University of Houston Police Department recently created a survey for students to suggest solutions to help the campus carry work group, comprised of 15 representatives of various campus organizations and university departments, in the creation of UH’s campus carry policy.
The survey comes at a time when gun control on college campuses has become a sensitive issue.
Last June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill No. 11 into effect, otherwise known as campus carry. It allows concealed handguns on college campuses in Texas by legal gun owners, including students.
The bill prohibits university presidents from generally banning licensed carry on campus, but they may institute some policy through actions such as designating gun-free zones on campus.
According to a press release from the Department of Public Safety, the University has assigned the group with the responsibility to develop a campus carry policy compliant with the new law.
The campus carry frequently asked questions page from UHPD states that the group is to submit a policy for approval by May 2016, which will be enacted in August that same year.
Though many pro-gun advocates consider this a victory, many students at UH are divided on the issue.
“They say the shooter in Oregon had a concealed handgun license, so how is someone else having a concealed handgun license on campus going to stop that?” creative writing sophomore Lane Myers said.
“I understand next time (that if) the crazy person starts shooting, someone else can shoot him but what is that doing? We’re so fearful that we’re giving people more power to hurt more people and it’s scary.”
Psychology sophomore Efe Ajayi said that while the policy promises protection, it cannot actually make anyone any safer.
“I respect the idea that people want to protect themselves and be able to carry their weapons but I also respect the value of a human life,” Ajayi said. “As a logical person, I can see how having a gun on campus could lead to a situation that one would want to prevent.”
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16 Responses to Campus carry survey asks for student input