The UH chapter of the Students for Concealed Carry will participate in the nation-wide Empty Holster protest starting Monday, March 30.
The empty holder protest will begin on March 30 and end on April 3. Participants are told not to put any item in the holster. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The week-long protest is SCC’s signature demonstration against the state gun laws forbidding students from carrying on campus. Per the Texas Penal Codes §46.03 and §46.035, concealed carry is forbidden “on the physical premises of a school or educational institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted, or a passenger transportation vehicle of a school or educational institution, whether the school or educational institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the institution.”
Global studies junior and SCC member Joshua Philippus said the majority of students who are against campus carry do not understand what they’re talking about.
“That’s not necessarily said with a negative to them that their firearm is a tool,” Philippus said. “It’s an extension of themselves. Guns don’t kill people, malicious people do.”
Philippus, who is also an instructor and involved with weapon sales and upkeep at a local range, said that most students have not been brought up with guns, making them uncomfortable.
“Naturally they fear what they don’t understand,” Philippus said. “When I teach clients, I am sure to explain there is absolutely nothing to fear from a gun.”
Participants in the Empty Holster protest are told to be polite if campus police approach them and comply with any requests they have. They must not have anything in their holsters.
“If someone is adamantly opposed, do not argue with them. Simply agree to disagree and walk away,” a Facebook post about the event said on March 24.
“In all honesty, I would say 92 percent of students are so self-involved with their Facebooks or their phones that they wouldn’t even notice,” Phillipus said. “Yet, these same individuals believe I shouldn’t have the right to defend myself should the need arise.”
“That doesn’t quite seem fair, does it? I should potentially be exposed to a threat because of how naïve the vast majority of students are? I certainly hope not.”
For more information on the UH chapter of SCC, visit their Facebook page or email them at [email protected].
