On Monday, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled against three University of Texas professors, Jennifer Lynn Glass, Lisa Moore and Mia Carter, who had filed suit to get rid of the rule that stated students could carry their firearms on campus if they had a concealed handgun licenses from carrying their weapons on campus and into classrooms.
The professors had declared that the rule was unconstitutional, arguing that allowing students to carry firearms would hinder open discussions on controversial subjects because feelings might become inflamed.
But Yeakel ruled that the Board of Regents had the power to determine where a licensed individual could carry a concealed firearm in an academic settting, stating, “This court concludes that Plaintiffs have failed to establish a substantial likelihood of success on their equal-protection claim under the Fourteenth Amendment.”
The law allowing concealed carry on campus was signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last year. It allowed license holders to carry concealed handguns on public college campuses, but also allowed college presidents to designate “gun-free zones.” Most college studetns still wouldn’t be allowed to carry a concealed handgun, as the requisite age is 21.
Although the law went into effect on August 1, community and junior colleges will not be subject to it until 2017. Private schools can opt out of the law. Only one private school, Amberton University, is planning to allow guns on campus for the 2016-2017 school year.
Other states that allow campus carry include Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin.