GUN CONTROL POLICY TEXAS

The major debate has been whether students should be allowed to carry concealed guns in college. The State of Texas through its legislature passed the campus carry law in 2015 that included all public colleges within the state (Elliot 2009, May, 20). The law has attracted criticism from higher education communities of the notion that the presence of guns will in one way or the other limit or bring about destructive educational interaction within the campuses. Statistically, it has been noted that in 2018 alone there have been an inflammation of tense situations within many institutions in Texas because of allowing weapons on campuses. Through a statement by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, it's noted that armed students can easily escalate a situation that could have been explosive already even though they had best intentions.

This includes the University of Texas that consists of a student population of more than 214,000. The law has been in effect since 1966 a year in which a student by the name Charles Whitman went on a rampage and killed 16 people (Evans, Walker, Taylor and Macchi, 2017, 32). The supporters of the campus carry law believe that an individual with a licensed concealed weapon will be in a better position of confronting a gunman that could bring a firearm to the institution with the intention of harming others. It will be hard for one to notice any concealed weapons meaning that it is hard to tell who could be possessing a weapon. This alone will scare any individual with the intention of causing harm or being violent.

Whichever way the law should be viewed, there should be an acceptance that the law could in one way or the other lead to more violence on Texas campuses rather than helping thwart them. Most of these students could be handling firearms for their first time meaning that they will be having some form of excitement and anxiety which could deter their way of thinking in regard to weapon use. Furthermore, this is the stage in which most of the students will be learning to depend on themselves meaning there could be transitional frustrations and stress this will mean some of these students will be having unstable minds which are not suitable for firearm possession (Pew Research Center 2014, Dec, 10). More firearms on campuses will only increase gun crime.

Campus carry law will mean that there will be an extension of broader efforts to allowing individuals to carry concealed weapons to other public areas consequently increasing the risk of violence. College campuses have occupied a special place in the American society and so in Texas. They have been viewed far beyond just buildings and individual collections. They have been regarded as dynamic learning and living environments where there is the interaction of individuals of varying levels of maturity. This is where ideas and innovations have been incubated besides being the source of society leaders. While there should be recognition of the right to possess a firearm by a responsible individual, the unique characteristics that come with college compasses will bring a problem to firearm presence.