The same dayย the Texas Senate passed a bill to loosen state handgun regulations, a House committee Tuesday consideredย proposals to allow the open carry of handguns with a license and theย concealed carry of handguns on college campuses.
The House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety listened to public testimony onย House Bill 937ย by state Rep.ย Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress, which would allow students to carry concealed handguns on a college campus, andย House Bill 910ย by Committee Chairmanย Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, which would allow concealed handgun license owners to openly carry a handgun in public.
The committee did not vote on either bill.
An open carry bill similar to House Bill 910ย was tentatively approved by the Senateย 20 to 11 on Monday after several hours of debate. On Tuesday, the Senate gave the bill final approval and sent it to the House.
A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll last month found a large majority of Texans areย opposed to open carryย with or without a license.
At a Capitol hearing Tuesday,ย Suzanna Gratia Hupp, a former state representative, spoke in favor of the campus gun measure.ย Hupp, a Republican whose parents were killed in the 1991 mass shooting at Lubyโs restaurant in Killeen, was an advocate for concealed carry during her time as a lawmaker.
โIf Iโm a madman that wants to rack up a big body-bag count and beat the last guyโs body-bag count, Iโm not going to go to an NRA convention or the dreaded gun show,โ she said. โIโm going to go where the Legislature has said people canโt protect themselves.โ
Grace Chimene, a board member of the League of Women Voters of Texas, testified against both bills.
โCollege students and professors should have complete freedom of speech to express opinions during lectures without the intimidation that is present when guns are in the room,โ Chimene said.



