AUSTIN—In support of the rally today in Austin and the over 150 University of Texas-Austin Professors and over 500 community members who have signed a petition to oppose guns in college classrooms, the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the statement below urging the President of the University of Texas, Gregory L. Fenves to listen to his faculty, students and parents to prohibit guns in University of Texas classrooms. Although the recently passed Senate Bill 11 forces public universities to allow concealed carry of handguns on public college campuses, the final version of the law gives University presidents broad discretion to determine when and where on campus concealed carry of handguns is allowed.
“Texas Moms stood by police chiefs, campus shooting survivors, students, teachers and every day Texans during the legislative battle this session over guns on campus in strong opposition to forcing guns on campus—and Texas Moms will stand by our University of Texas-Austin professors, students, and the majority of Texans to support their refusal to allow guns in their college classrooms,” said Nicole Greene, volunteer with the Texas Chapter of Moms Demand Action. “No professor or student should ever have to wonder whether someone in their classroom is reaching into their backpack for a pencil or for a gun—that is not the type of learning environment we want for our Texas colleges. The final guns on campus bill that passed this session is a large improvement for public safety from where it began back in January. The bill does give discretion to University presidents to determine where and when concealed carry of handguns is permitted on campus—Texas moms urge President Gregory L. Fenves to listen to the UT-Austin campus community and faculty by using his authority to prohibit guns in college classrooms.”