It's hard to tell what issues the current Special Session will stir up (it depends upon the governor), but the so-called Guns on Campus bill introduced during the last Regular Session failed due to a parliamentary objection in the final days before adjournment.
The bill would have allowed licensed carriers of concealed firearms to bring their weapons into campus buildings. Sponsors of this and similar measures testified that recent tragedies involving shooters on U.S. campuses (including UT-Austin) could have been prevented, or at least mitigated, by trained individuals nearby who could respond as needed. In Texas, licensed carriers must be 21 years old (or with military experience) and must receive training in the use of handguns.
When the original bill failed to garner enough votes for passage, its sponsor, Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio), attempted to attach it to another bill. It's a common practice as the adjournment deadline approaches.
The measure was inserted into a fiscal matters bill in the Senate. But when the bill was taken up in the House, Rep. Mike Villarreal (D-San Antonio) made a parliamentary objection, pointing out that the Texas Constitution prohibits any bill from taking up two different subjects. The governing rule involves whether the components are "germane" to the subject of the bill—often a judgment call.
The House parliamentarian concurred with the objection. So the bill went back to the Senate, where the gun language was taken out.
TCCTA President Fred Newbury, Richland College, testified in opposition to the measure, pointing out that colleges wished to make their own decisions based on geographic and physical distinctions. Local discretion was not allowed under the bill as filed. Dr. Newbury also pointed out that TCCTA conducted a survey of its membership, which revealed that eighty percent of respondents opposed allowing licensed carriers to bring guns on campus.
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