Baylor Opts Out of Campus Carry
Baylor University has opted out of Texas' campus carry law, joining the long list of Texas private universities that have decided to continue banning handguns on their campuses.
The university announced the decision to the campus on Tuesday, but school President Ken Starr had informed the university's board of regents of the decision at its meeting on Friday. He said he made the decision after "robust debate" on campus.
“Regardless of where our faculty, staff and students stand on the issue, we do know that they care deeply about the safety of our campus," Starr said. "We applaud and appreciate the deliberate process undertaken by our campus community and their invaluable contributions to the University’s response on campus carry.”
The campus carry law was approved last year. It allows people with concealed handgun licenses to carry their weapons inside buildings on the campuses of public universities. Private colleges were given the ability to opt out of the law, which goes into effect Aug. 1.
The Texas Tribune has reached out to all private colleges in the state and, as of Tuesday, 24 said they have made up their minds. None of those plan to allow guns on their campuses.
To see the list of private schools and their decisions, click here.