The state's controversial "campus carry" law took effect one year ago. The law allows students with concealed handgun licenses, and who are 21 years old, to carry a firearm in certain places on public university campuses.
Opponents of the law were concerned about the potential risks: quick-tempered students with access to firearms, self-censorship in classroom discussions and potential catastrophes involving a 鈥済ood guy with a gun.鈥� Advocates said the allowing students to carry guns would provide protection in case of campus violence.
, coordinator for the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas at Dallas, says there has been no significant increase in gun crimes on campuses since 鈥渃ampus carry鈥� became law.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a lot of increased fear of victimization of crime,鈥� Bartula says. 鈥淗owever, if we actually look at the numbers, we don鈥檛 really see much of a change at all.鈥�
As of Tuesday, the 鈥渃ampus carry鈥� law across the state. Bartula says the fact that community colleges are typically commuter schools raises a different set of issues.
鈥淸Community colleges] tend to be high-volume,鈥� Bartula says. 鈥淏ecause [they are] commuter [schools], people come and go all the time. So it鈥檚 really hard for security on community college campuses to really identify who鈥檚 there at what time, what the flows are going to be. Whereas at four-year institutions, it鈥檚 a little more stable, with the amount of people on campus.鈥�
Bartula says some of the fears professors expressed before the passage of 鈥渃ampus carry鈥� continue. He says he believes some faculty members have changed the kinds of discussions held in class, based on fear, but that, overall, little has changed.
鈥淚 really haven't seen that much change at our institution,鈥� he says.
Written by Shelly Brisbin.
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