Good news for students who wish to protect themselves with more than a whistle.

Kaitlin Mulhere of Inside Higher Ed reports.

Momentum for Campus Carry

At least 11 states are considering whether to allow concealed weapons on college campuses this year, the latest chapter in a now seemingly annual legislative debate between gun control advocates and gun rights supporters.

Bills have been introduced, at least once, in almost half of the 50 states in the past few years. Despite slow success thus far — just seven states have adopted versions of campus carry laws — gun rights advocates have their eyes on two very large prizes this year: Florida and Texas.

Right now, the odds are starting to stack up in their favor. The Texas bill has passed the Senate and is on its way to House. The version in Florida has passed through two Senate committees and is headed to the Judiciary Committee.

Should the bills make it through their respective legislatures, both would end up on the desks of Republican governors who are sympathetic to the gun lobby.

The arguments made on both sides of the guns on campus issue are fairly played out at this point. Supporters argue that it’s a constitutional right and one that will make campuses safer from shooters and other criminals. Opponents — which usually include administrators, faculty members and campus law enforcement — claim the opposite, that more guns on campus will increase the risk of dangerous situations.

Yet for all its familiarity, the idea of guns on campus is relatively novel. Campus carry was largely a nonissue a decade ago, when the University of Utah went to court to defend its autonomy and the related right to stay gun-free. A few years later, Oregon, Mississippi and Wisconsin began explicitly allowing guns on campus.