Michigan and Wisconsin legislators are proposing bills that would allow licensed carry of concealed firearms in previously off-limits portions of college campuses, such as classroom buildings. Economist and commentator John Lott Jr. spoke in support of the legislation, saying concealed-carry permit holders hold a “strategic advantage” in mass shooting incidents that open carry advocates and uniformed law enforcement officials lack. “If you go to create a gun-free zone, the people who obey these rules are the law-abiding citizens, not the criminals,” he said.
Texas recently passed a campus carry law that will go into effect in August 2016. Private universities can opt out, but the University of Texas is currently considering how to implement the law, which will allow concealed weapon license holders over the age of 21 to bring handguns into buildings on public campuses.