A University of Texas economics professor has quit his post because of the new campus-carry law going into effect next year.
Sue Killam Professor Emeritus Daniel Hamermesh wrote in a letter to University President Greg Fenves that the law, which goes into effect Aug. 1, 2016, and would allow licensed gun owners to carry concealed weapons into classrooms and university buildings, enhanced the “risk that a disgruntled student might bring a gun into the classroom.”
In his letter to the President, Hamermesh explained that he’ll be spending some of next fall at the University of Sydney where “the risk seems lower.”
This is getting wide play among Texas media, but we think this is much ado about nothing. And some aspects of it don’t hit us right. Hamersmith noted in his letter that he primarily taught 18 year olds.
In Texas, concealed handgun license (CHL) holders must be 21 years of age. Also, recent shootings at campuses nationwide haven’t involved concealed carry license holders. And the professor doesn’t seem to grasp that a “disgruntled student who might bring a gun into the classroom and start shooting” doesn’t need a concealed carry license to do that.
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