Will Legislators Re-Think Texas Campus Concealed Carry Law?

Texas Senator Mario Gallegos of Houston has changed his mind about the proposed law to allow concealed weapons on the state's college campuses.

""I'm really torn with this issue. I believe in the right to carry," Gallegos told the Associated Press. "But I also listen to my community colleges and universities. I've been bombarded in the last 24 hours."

Gallegos, along with two other Texas Senators who seem to have changed their mind about the bill, just delayed a vote on the measure from happening. But the fight isn't over. Senator Jeff Wentworth, who introduced SB 354, is determined to find other supporters and bring the measure up for a vote again early next week.

Advocates at Students for Gun-Free Schools in Texas are continuing to organize, asking their supporters to continue to contact their senators and representatives to let them know they don't want concealed weapons on Texas campuses. Just last week, students from the organization testified to the legislature about their objections to the bill.

"Lawmakers say they want to 'prevent another Virginia Tech,' but they have ignored all of the VT survivors and family members who testified or wrote statements against SB 354. They also ignored UT-Austin shooting survivors," wrote John Woods, a graduate student at the University of Texas-Austin whose girlfriend was killed in the Virginia Tech shooting, in a message to supporters.

Senator Steve Ogden, who represents Texas A&M University, has also withdrawn his support from the bill. Another legislator, Eddie Lucio of Brownsville, withdrew his support because he wants an amendment that would allow exemptions from the law for universities with secondary or charter schools on their campuses.

Aron Weinberg, a University of Texas-Austin student who started a petition on the issue at Change.org, is urging signers to contact their representatives to let them know where they stand.

"Even one phone call is a huge help," said Weinberg. "There is no more important time than now to speak to your representatives on this issue."

Weinberg's petition has gathered 278 signatures since he posted it just two weeks ago. Many signers have left comments, including Duana Welch, who says she teaches in public colleges in Texas.

"Senators, you don't allow guns in your workplace, for obvious reasons--and for many of the same reasons, guns don't belong in mine," wrote Welch. "Kill this bill before you wind up killing kids in our schools."

Time is of the essence. If you want concealed weapons to remain off college campuses in Texas, call your elected officials and sign the Change.org petition - Calling All Texans: Stand With Students, Faculty & Staff to Keep Guns Away From Schools!

Photo credit: Bill Bradford