Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Chris Griffin [Click to enlarge]

For some, it's hard to imagine that in every movie theater, there are people carrying concealed weapons. If you've ever seen me at the movies, you probably didn't know I was carrying a loaded pistol, and you probably didn't know others were doing the same. If you've ever seen me around town and I wasn't in a bar or on my way to or from campus, I was carrying a handgun.

I'm a concealed handgun license holder, one of more than 300,000 in Texas. I'm also a college student, so I spend the majority of my time unarmed because I'm on campus. The law and University policy prohibit me from carrying a weapon in class, sbut that may change. House Bill 1893 has passed through the Public Safety Committee and is moving to the U.S. House for a vote.

The committee agreed that adult students, faculty and staff who have been issued a Concealed Handgun License by the state of Texas should be able to protect themselves in campus settings just like they are able to do almost anywhere else. The Brady Bunch are up in arms over the issue, but they haven't a leg to stand on. The arguments I always hear against allowing concealed carry on campus invariably include "College students aren't mature enough," "The college environment is plagued with alcohol use, high tensions and rampant emotional turmoil," and the misguided "This will only complicate the situation for responding police." As a 22-year-old college student, I must be too immature, too emotional and too out of control to handle a firearm, but Texas doesn't think so. To get issued my CHL, I had to:

1. Be 21 years old

2. Have no criminal history

3. Not be under a protective order

4. Not be chemically dependent

5. Be of sound mind

6. Not be delinquent in paying fines, fees, child support or student loans

7. Be eligible to purchase a handgun by completing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System check

8. Complete required training

Though the editorial board of The Battalion has claimed "Restrictions [...] can easily be dodged and/or finagled to meet certain individual circumstances," such statements have no basis in fact. The Texas CHL system is a model for other states and has made converts of many an opponent. It took six months of waiting and a lot of paperwork to get my license and, as a U.S. Marine, you'd think it would be easy for me to "finagle" my way out of some of the requirements.

Continued...

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