On Tuesday, a dispute between two people at Lone Star College in Houston ended in a gun fight. Three people were wounded (including suspects in the shooting), and a fourth person was reportedly hospitalized with an unspecified “medical emergency” in connection with the incident. It was the sixth shooting on or near a US college campus this month.
Texas generally has lax gun laws, but prohibits carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus. The GOP-controlled Texas Legislature may soon change that, however. Last week, state Sen. Brian Birdwell, a Republican, introduced new “campus carry” legislation that would allow firearms to be carried at public colleges with a valid permit. Texas would join five states* that, to varying degrees, now allow weapons to be carried on campuses. And lawmakers in at least seven other states are aiming to follow suit.
Does your state allow concealed guns on college campuses? Hover over an individual state for further details. (Also see lists below the map.)
States with laws allowing guns on college campuses: Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin.
States in which lawmakers have recently introduced legislation to allow guns on campuses: Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Wyoming.
For more, check out MoJo‘s yearlong investigation into gun laws and mass shootings in the United States.
Correction: California was included in this category in the initial version of the story; the state bans concealed guns on college campuses but makes exceptions for individuals with valid licenses who are granted specific permission by school authorities.
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures; Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
