Texas State University Gun policy

[srothstein]

Well, with the comments about UT and their professors, and the private universities and their decisions, I thought I might post one showing a little common sense. I received this email today:

Subject: Campus Carry Draft Recommendations Released; Task Force Seeking Comments On Draft Recommendations at November Public Forums

The Campus Carry Task Force at Texas State University has released draft recommendations for the implementation of Senate Bill 11, or the Campus Carry Law, for public view and comment. You can access the draft recommendations at this link: http://www.president.txstate.edu/campus ... mendations

Texas State has scheduled three public forums to gather campus and community input on the draft recommendations. The forums are open to faculty, students, staff, and community members. Each forum will last one hour. The schedules for the public forums are as follows:

· 5:15 p.m, Tuesday, Nov. 17, Avery Building, Room 252, Round Rock Campus
· 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, LBJ Student Center Teaching Theater, San Marcos Campus
· 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, Alkek Library Teaching Theater, Room 250 San Marcos Campus.

The Campus Carry Law, passed by the Texas Legislature earlier this year, permits concealed handgun license holders to carry a concealed handgun on university campuses, including buildings, beginning Aug. 1, 2016. The Campus Carry Task Force at Texas State, a committee of 25 faculty and staff members, students, and administrators, has been gathering input from surveys and meetings with various campus stakeholders, addressing specific safety concerns. The next step is to gather comments from the campus and San Marcos communities about its findings.

Please take the opportunity to review these recommendations and provide the task force with your comments, concerns, and suggestions.

Individuals who wish to comment on the draft recommendations at any of the public forums should register to be a speaker when they first arrive at the forum. Registered speakers will be assigned a speaker number, on a first-come, first-served basis. Speakers will be seated in a special section and will line up at a standing microphone when it is their turn to speak during the public forums. Comments by each speaker will be limited to 2 minutes.

When the forums have concluded, participants will be encouraged to post additional comments online at www.president.txstate.edu/campus-carry. If you are not able to attend a forum and would like to provide your comments to the task force, please use the above link to post your comments.

The President’s final recommendations regarding rules, policies, guidelines, signage, and other appropriate documents will be presented to the Board of Regents of The Texas State University System in spring 2016 for their review approval.

If you follow the link to the recommendations, I thought they were not too unreasonable. I did not agree with all of them, but mostly they tried to keep what they thought were sensitive areas secure. This includes places on campus for young kids, mental health counseling, and areas used for discipline of students. The general argument is emotions and kids, of course.

The surprising exemption, to me at least, is the president's residence on campus. None of the other residences on campus are included, including the dorms. I guess it means the current president is not too fond of firearms and doesn't have any (or doesn't carry at home). It also eliminates me from being president of Texas State, as if I ever had a chance of that.

[TexasJohnBoy]

It'll be interesting to hear the defense of the president's home in the report to the legislature. Everything else recommended is not surprising to me...

[Rokyudai]

The President is the chief executive officer of the university and must make the final decisions in controversial situations. Often, in those situations one or more of the individuals involved in the matter become upset and angry about the decision and make threats of bodily harm or harm to property.(from their site)

....is what they have so far.



Because the law will keep this scenario from happening.

[jb2012]

The President is the chief executive officer of the university and must make the final decisions in controversial situations. Often, in those situations one or more of the individuals involved in the matter become upset and angry about the decision and make threats of bodily harm or harm to property.(from their site)

....is what they have so far.



Because the law will keep this scenario from happening.

Well hopefully that doesn't happen, with OCT on the prowl we get a bad name way too often.

[C-dub]

I think, if you became the UT President you could change that policy. However, it makes me wonder. Since it is a residence and they have decided to make it off limits, can the resident/president carry a concealed handgun in their own residence or have a firearm of any kind there?

[J.R.@A&M]

Well, with the comments about UT and their professors, and the private universities and their decisions, I thought I might post one showing a little common sense. I received this email today:

Subject: Campus Carry Draft Recommendations Released; Task Force Seeking Comments On Draft Recommendations at November Public Forums

The Campus Carry Task Force at Texas State University has released draft recommendations for the implementation of Senate Bill 11, or the Campus Carry Law, for public view and comment. You can access the draft recommendations at this link: http://www.president.txstate.edu/campus ... mendations

Texas State has scheduled three public forums to gather campus and community input on the draft recommendations. The forums are open to faculty, students, staff, and community members. Each forum will last one hour. The schedules for the public forums are as follows:

· 5:15 p.m, Tuesday, Nov. 17, Avery Building, Room 252, Round Rock Campus
· 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, LBJ Student Center Teaching Theater, San Marcos Campus
· 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, Alkek Library Teaching Theater, Room 250 San Marcos Campus.

The Campus Carry Law, passed by the Texas Legislature earlier this year, permits concealed handgun license holders to carry a concealed handgun on university campuses, including buildings, beginning Aug. 1, 2016. The Campus Carry Task Force at Texas State, a committee of 25 faculty and staff members, students, and administrators, has been gathering input from surveys and meetings with various campus stakeholders, addressing specific safety concerns. The next step is to gather comments from the campus and San Marcos communities about its findings.

Please take the opportunity to review these recommendations and provide the task force with your comments, concerns, and suggestions.

Individuals who wish to comment on the draft recommendations at any of the public forums should register to be a speaker when they first arrive at the forum. Registered speakers will be assigned a speaker number, on a first-come, first-served basis. Speakers will be seated in a special section and will line up at a standing microphone when it is their turn to speak during the public forums. Comments by each speaker will be limited to 2 minutes.

When the forums have concluded, participants will be encouraged to post additional comments online at http://www.president.txstate.edu/campus-carry. If you are not able to attend a forum and would like to provide your comments to the task force, please use the above link to post your comments.

The President’s final recommendations regarding rules, policies, guidelines, signage, and other appropriate documents will be presented to the Board of Regents of The Texas State University System in spring 2016 for their review approval.

If you follow the link to the recommendations, I thought they were not too unreasonable. I did not agree with all of them, but mostly they tried to keep what they thought were sensitive areas secure. This includes places on campus for young kids, mental health counseling, and areas used for discipline of students. The general argument is emotions and kids, of course.

The surprising exemption, to me at least, is the president's residence on campus. None of the other residences on campus are included, including the dorms. I guess it means the current president is not too fond of firearms and doesn't have any (or doesn't carry at home). It also eliminates me from being president of Texas State, as if I ever had a chance of that.

Or just change that particular rule when you become President Rothstein. Which raises a question I had not thought about until now -- what is the likelihood of future new presidents tinkering with the existing University plan? I suppose if there is no perceived problem to correct, then the established precedent will be harder to tinker with if an anti-campus carry administrator becomes president.

[TexasJohnBoy]

I see no reason the policies can't change with new leadership. It just has to go through the same workflow -- talk to campus community, president makes call, regents review/approve call. No reason it can't happen over and over again as long as it doesn't have the effect of banning carry on campuses, and the reports are sent to the legislature in September of every even numbered year.

[VMI77]

I think, if you became the UT President you could change that policy. However, it makes me wonder. Since it is a residence and they have decided to make it off limits, can the resident/president carry a concealed handgun in their own residence or have a firearm of any kind there?

Laws don't apply to liberals, especially gun laws. Gun prohibitions are for us peasants.

[MeMelYup]

I read their recommendations and thought most were fear. For instance:

The Clinic for Autism Research Evaluation and Support (CARES)

"One service provided in CARES is treatment to reduce aggressive behaviors. Grabbing someone who is armed could present a danger of accidental discharge. CARES' adult clients with milder intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses would be able to bring a gun into the clinic. Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, and would not likely behave in predictable ways, thus placing them in danger."

"Grabbing someone who is armed could present a danger of accidental discharge."
The people that are patients would not normally have a firearm.

"CARES' adult clients with mild intellectual disabilities or mental illness would be able to bring a gun into the clinic."
The person described above would have to be over 21 and possibly would not be eligable for a License To Carry due to their condition.

"Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, "
The customers/patients would not have a firearm normally and open carry is not allowed on college campus. With open carry not allowed how would the customer(s)/patient(s) see a firearm?


Speech-Language Hearing and Physical Therapy clinics in the College of Health Professions

"Training facility for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Communication Disorders. An on-campus clinic is required for the program’s national accreditation. Disorders range from hearing loss, problems expressing wants and needs to understanding others. The cause of the speech and hearing problems range from autism, developmental delays, reduced cognitive abilities, neurological problems, dementia, stroke, learning disabilities and prenatal/birth defects. Aggression, tantrums, impulsivity and agitation are common in these populations."
None of these people would be eligible for a firearms license.

"Behavioral, cognitive emotional/affect and communicative issues in the Clinic’s population cause situations where patients do not understand the implications of playing with or touching guns. Many younger patients cannot delineate between a “toy” and a real gun. Due to limited understanding, specifically talking and hearing, many patients cannot follow directions, tell others what they saw or hear a communicated warning. The safety of the patients would be jeopardized in the case of an accidental discharge or inadvertently finding a handgun."
This is more fear of the gun. If staff is worried about negligent discharge or firearms being forgotten in bathrooms, require that staff must use holsters with level 1 retention.

[jb2012]

I read their recommendations and thought most were fear. For instance:

The Clinic for Autism Research Evaluation and Support (CARES)

"One service provided in CARES is treatment to reduce aggressive behaviors. Grabbing someone who is armed could present a danger of accidental discharge. CARES' adult clients with milder intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses would be able to bring a gun into the clinic. Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, and would not likely behave in predictable ways, thus placing them in danger."

"Grabbing someone who is armed could present a danger of accidental discharge."
The people that are patients would not normally have a firearm.

"CARES' adult clients with mild intellectual disabilities or mental illness would be able to bring a gun into the clinic."
The person described above would have to be over 21 and possibly would not be eligable for a License To Carry due to their condition.

"Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, "
The customers/patients would not have a firearm normally and open carry is not allowed on college campus. With open carry not allowed how would the customer(s)/patient(s) see a firearm?


Speech-Language Hearing and Physical Therapy clinics in the College of Health Professions

"Training facility for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Communication Disorders. An on-campus clinic is required for the program’s national accreditation. Disorders range from hearing loss, problems expressing wants and needs to understanding others. The cause of the speech and hearing problems range from autism, developmental delays, reduced cognitive abilities, neurological problems, dementia, stroke, learning disabilities and prenatal/birth defects. Aggression, tantrums, impulsivity and agitation are common in these populations."
None of these people would be eligible for a firearms license.

"Behavioral, cognitive emotional/affect and communicative issues in the Clinic’s population cause situations where patients do not understand the implications of playing with or touching guns. Many younger patients cannot delineate between a “toy” and a real gun. Due to limited understanding, specifically talking and hearing, many patients cannot follow directions, tell others what they saw or hear a communicated warning. The safety of the patients would be jeopardized in the case of an accidental discharge or inadvertently finding a handgun."
This is more fear of the gun. If staff is worried about negligent discharge or firearms being forgotten in bathrooms, require that staff must use holsters with level 1 retention.

I agree that theses are all fear based restrictions. But I have to say from the talk that I have heard around campus and especially with our proximity to Austin, I am extremely impressed with what has come out so far. I expected the entire chemistry building, as well as the entire Health Professions Building (HPB) to be off limits. Luckily the only building strictly proposed to be off limits so far is the CDC (Child Development Center). I will be at the public forum held on Wednesday at the LBJ Center, and I am going to try and keep my mouth shut, but if needed and if y'all think it would be a good idea, I definitely don't mind saying something.

[C-dub]

"Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, ..."

Doesn't this describe many liberals? Does that then also mean that many liberals have intellectual disabilities?

[jb2012]

"Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, ..."

Doesn't this describe many liberals? Does that then also mean that many liberals have intellectual disabilities?

It's an invalid point to begin with, the law provides for CONCEALED carry on campus. No one should ever know that you or me are armed. Nevertheless you are correct!

[C-dub]

"Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, ..."

Doesn't this describe many liberals? Does that then also mean that many liberals have intellectual disabilities?

It's an invalid point to begin with, the law provides for CONCEALED carry on campus. No one should ever know that you or me are armed. Nevertheless you are correct!

I think their premise was what might happen if someone feels threatened and pulls their handgun out and then those with intellectual disabilities would freak out.

[srothstein]

"Children and adults with intellectual disabilities may not know how to behave when they see a gun, ..."

Doesn't this describe many liberals? Does that then also mean that many liberals have intellectual disabilities?

It's an invalid point to begin with, the law provides for CONCEALED carry on campus. No one should ever know that you or me are armed. Nevertheless you are correct!

I think their premise was what might happen if someone feels threatened and pulls their handgun out and then those with intellectual disabilities would freak out.

Doesn't that support JB2012's point about liberals and intellectual disabilities?

[jb2012]

I'm at the meeting right now, anyone curious about what's going on?