Campus Carry forum held at UT

Campus Carry in Texas starts in August 16. Public college and university students who are 21 or over and have a license will be permitted to carry their concealed gun on campus.

Public colleges and universities cannot opt out or prohibit licensed students from carrying, but they can makes rules and regulations as to how the guns will be stored and what parts of campus will be gun free.

UT President Gregory Fenves created the Campus Carry Policy Work Group. It's made up of nineteen members that include staff, faculty, students and parents. The group will compile a report with their recommendations and will turn it in to President Fenves in late November.

They have asked for feedback from campus, both online and in public forums held on campus. The final one took place at the Student Union on Monday.

150 people were in attendance. Speakers took the stage to share their thoughts. It was a mix of Campus Carry supporters and those against the law. Including a group of teachers who have started a petition that's garnering attention. In two weeks they say, they've amassed roughly 300 signatures of professors who will refuse guns in their classrooms.

There is concern that the new law will have a negative impact on UT. "I suspect there will be some secondary effects in other states as people are considering whether not to apply to UT as students and to take employment here," says Steven Goode, the Chair of the Campus Carry Policy Work Group. Goode is also a law professor at UT. He adds, "how extensive that will be, it will be hard to know. But there is certainly that tenor of comment that we are hearing throughout the public forum and the comments we are receiving online."

Once the group turns over their report, President Fenves has until December 4 to make his recommendations to the UT System.