Racism is alive and well at UT Austin, not in the sense you might think though.
AUSTIN - An anti-gun group at the University of Texas at Austin has lawyer-ed up, and might sue if the administration fails to submit campus carry guidelines that ban guns in classrooms and other buildings.
The group of faculty, staff and students known as Gun Free UT has retained the help of the National Lawyers Guild, and said it will "evaluate its legal options" once President Greg Fenves issues his guidelines to the system, which will happen early next year.
"We are also consulting with attorneys with the Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus who have expertise in fighting back against campus carry in other jurisdictions," Ellen Spiro, a professor in the Department of Radio, TV and Film and one of the group's leaders, told the Chronicle on Monday.
The group has previously said it would be open to suing the university if its leaders did not take their concerns over the new law seriously. Joan Neuberger, a history professor and one of Gun Free UT's other de facto leaders, in October said, "We would like to challenge the law in court on the basis of its infringement of our rights."
Fenves has spent the last several weeks consulting with faculty, staff, students and the campus' attorneys over the new law. Two public fora were also held. Fenves has previously acknowledged faculty concerns and said in a statement last month the administration was "looking at many issues, including those surrounding handguns in specific areas on campus such as dormitories and classrooms."
According to the new campus carry law, which was signed this summer and will go into affect for four-year schools next fall, presidents can restrict where concealed handguns may be carried, but cannot institute blanket bans.
The group has also organized dozens of departments - and hundreds 0f professors - to sign and issue anti-gun statements that make it clear these individuals are opposed to guns in their classrooms, student dorms and elsewhere.
"Because we are personally and professionally committed to promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of children, adolescents, and adults, we strenuously object to this law and to the presence of concealed guns in campus buildings," 55 individuals associated with the Department of Psychology wrote in October.
Faculty and students from the Department of African and African Diaspora studies wrote, "n this country, which devalues black life as one of its founding principles, the expansion of citizens' rights to bear firearms facilitates the violent deaths of Blacks."
"The State and the University have a responsibility to protect and defend those who are most vulnerable. Therefore, we demand that firearms be banned in all spaces occupied by Black people on our campus."
When it goes into effect on Aug. 1, 2016, campus carry will allow those with a firearms license to carry concealed handguns into buildings on college campuses, where they were previously only allowed in public areas like the grounds. Each campuses restricted areas will be different, and presidents' recommendations can be amended or rejected by their system's board of regents.
Gun Free UT will hold an anti-campus carry rally on Tuesday at UT-Austin's west mall. Ahead of the rally, the pro-gun group criticized Gun Free UT for utilizing a public space where it is already legal to carry a concealed weapon.
"If these faculty and students aren't afraid to directly challenge concealed handgun license holders at a rally where license holders can carry guns, why should we believe that students or faculty will be afraid to discuss controversial issues in a classroom where license holders can carry guns?" Antonia Okafor, Southwest regional director for Students for Concealed Carry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Open Carry Texas head and state senate candidate CJ Grisham had another message for UT faculty opposed to campus carry: just quit.
"Quit your jobs and walk away," Grisham wrote on his group's Facebook page. "You'll shut the school down and if the school is shut down, no one will have a class to go to. If no one has a class to go to, no one will be on campus. If no one is on campus, there won't be any guns there either!! It's foolproof!"
This will be Gun Free UT's third anti-campus carry rally since its formation earlier this summer. At the last rally, two pro-gun demonstrators were arrested for criminal trespassing.
AUSTIN - An anti-gun group at the University of Texas at Austin has lawyer-ed up, and might sue if the administration fails to submit campus carry guidelines that ban guns in classrooms and other buildings.
The group of faculty, staff and students known as Gun Free UT has retained the help of the National Lawyers Guild, and said it will "evaluate its legal options" once President Greg Fenves issues his guidelines to the system, which will happen early next year.
"We are also consulting with attorneys with the Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus who have expertise in fighting back against campus carry in other jurisdictions," Ellen Spiro, a professor in the Department of Radio, TV and Film and one of the group's leaders, told the Chronicle on Monday.
The group has previously said it would be open to suing the university if its leaders did not take their concerns over the new law seriously. Joan Neuberger, a history professor and one of Gun Free UT's other de facto leaders, in October said, "We would like to challenge the law in court on the basis of its infringement of our rights."
Fenves has spent the last several weeks consulting with faculty, staff, students and the campus' attorneys over the new law. Two public fora were also held. Fenves has previously acknowledged faculty concerns and said in a statement last month the administration was "looking at many issues, including those surrounding handguns in specific areas on campus such as dormitories and classrooms."
According to the new campus carry law, which was signed this summer and will go into affect for four-year schools next fall, presidents can restrict where concealed handguns may be carried, but cannot institute blanket bans.
The group has also organized dozens of departments - and hundreds 0f professors - to sign and issue anti-gun statements that make it clear these individuals are opposed to guns in their classrooms, student dorms and elsewhere.
"Because we are personally and professionally committed to promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of children, adolescents, and adults, we strenuously object to this law and to the presence of concealed guns in campus buildings," 55 individuals associated with the Department of Psychology wrote in October.
Faculty and students from the Department of African and African Diaspora studies wrote, "n this country, which devalues black life as one of its founding principles, the expansion of citizens' rights to bear firearms facilitates the violent deaths of Blacks."
"The State and the University have a responsibility to protect and defend those who are most vulnerable. Therefore, we demand that firearms be banned in all spaces occupied by Black people on our campus."
When it goes into effect on Aug. 1, 2016, campus carry will allow those with a firearms license to carry concealed handguns into buildings on college campuses, where they were previously only allowed in public areas like the grounds. Each campuses restricted areas will be different, and presidents' recommendations can be amended or rejected by their system's board of regents.
Gun Free UT will hold an anti-campus carry rally on Tuesday at UT-Austin's west mall. Ahead of the rally, the pro-gun group criticized Gun Free UT for utilizing a public space where it is already legal to carry a concealed weapon.
"If these faculty and students aren't afraid to directly challenge concealed handgun license holders at a rally where license holders can carry guns, why should we believe that students or faculty will be afraid to discuss controversial issues in a classroom where license holders can carry guns?" Antonia Okafor, Southwest regional director for Students for Concealed Carry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Open Carry Texas head and state senate candidate CJ Grisham had another message for UT faculty opposed to campus carry: just quit.
"Quit your jobs and walk away," Grisham wrote on his group's Facebook page. "You'll shut the school down and if the school is shut down, no one will have a class to go to. If no one has a class to go to, no one will be on campus. If no one is on campus, there won't be any guns there either!! It's foolproof!"
This will be Gun Free UT's third anti-campus carry rally since its formation earlier this summer. At the last rally, two pro-gun demonstrators were arrested for criminal trespassing.
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