Guns Now Required On Texas State University Campuses

The Texas House, by a vote of 98-to-47 on Sunday, passed Senate Bill 11, legislation requiring the state’s public universities to allow handguns in dorms, classrooms and campus buildings.  SB 11 is now on its way to desk of Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign the bill.

The state Senate approved the bill Saturday by a 20-11 vote, with all of the chamber’s Democrats opposing it.

Under the version of the bill passed by both legislative chambers, universities would be able to carve out gun-free zones in locations of their choice — establishing their own rules on where handguns are carried and how they’re stored in dormitory buildings, based on public safety concerns.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) said the limited the last minute gun-free zones amendment was designed to allow guns to be prohibited in places of heightened security, such as biohazard labs. Common spaces, such as dormitories or libraries can not be designated gun-free zones.

Only concealed handgun license holders would be allowed to carry their firearms on state university campus. Private universities are allowed to opt out of the requirement, all together.

Texas now becomes the ninth U.S. state to allow concealed weapons on college campuses. Ten states have rejected campus carry bills this year, while four more -- Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina -- are still considering them. Twenty states ban concealed weapons from campuses, while 23 allow individual schools to make their own policies, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

University presidents and students warned lawmakers that the policy could lead to accidental shootings, student suicides and violence at alcohol-laced parties, while creating an air of intimidation in classrooms during heated debates.

Texas Hand Gun Open Carry Law

Update (May 31, 2015): On Friday, Texas lawmakers approved legislation that allows citizens who have a concealed handgun license to openly carry handguns in plain view in belt or shoulder holsters. The is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott, who promised to sign it.

In a concession to law enforcement groups, lawmakers removed a provision that would have prohibited police from stopping someone to check for a gun license simply because that person was carrying a handgun openly.

The Texas House of Representatives approved the legislation 102-43, with just five Democrats joining the Republican majority. The bill passed the state Senate with 20 Republican votes in favor and 11 Democratic votes against it.

Why Baltimore Blew Up

Amid anger and protests in Baltimore following the unexplained death of 25-year-old African American Freddie Gray from a spinal injury sustained in a police paddy-wagon after being arrested, Baltimore exploded in protests.  But the American media did not use the that opportunity to talk about the poverty-ridden neighborhood in which Gray grew up.

The media didn't use the opportunity to have a conversation about the economic disadvantages that Gray, his peers, and so many young African American adults, are disadvantaged by the current socio-economic conditions found in minority neighborhoods throughout Baltimore and in other U.S. metro areas from the very beginning of their lives.

Neither did the American media use the opportunity to talk about the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of illegal searches and arrests across decades of discriminatory policing policies, the debate revolved around whether or not the teenagers who set fire to two West Baltimore CVS stores after Gray's death were "thugs," or merely wrongheaded criminals.

From Eric Garner to Michael Brown to Akai Gurley to Tamir Rice to Walter Scott and now Freddie Gray, there have now been so many police killings of African-American men and boys in the past calendar year or so that it's been easy for both the media and the political mainstream to sell us on the idea that the killings are the whole story.

Public Education, Poverty, and Standardized Testing

Thirteen billion dollars and 45 days per year. Those are the two numbers I want you to remember at the end of this post.

Thirteen billion dollars and 45 days per year.

But first, I would like to brag a bit about our public schools. Do you have a child or grandchild in public school? Are you a teacher, or do you have a friend or family member who teaches? Do you pay taxes?

Great! Listen up. You should enjoy this: 

Every few years, students in over 60 countries participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment, also known as the PISA. This study, which began in 2000, compares the performance of students across various nations in the fields of math, science, and reading. When the results from this study are broken into quartiles by poverty, the United States routinely scores first in every subject.

That's right, number one! That's pretty darned good, don't you think? Let's give a round of applause for our hard-working educators. They do an amazing job with the resources they are given, and they deserve a great deal of respect and admiration for their service.

Why do I say they do a great job with the resources they have?

In 2011, the Texas Legislature cut $5.4 billion from the public education budget, and it did quite a number on our schools. Class sizes skyrocketed in every district, support staff was reduced, and many great programs were eliminated. Teachers found themselves paying more in insurance premium hikes than what they received from the highly publicized pay raises (even here in Plano), and larger class sizes mean significantly more homework to grade. Then there are, of course, the resources of the students.

POVERTY

Studies have proven that poverty accounts for a huge portion of any standardized test results. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which runs the PISA, determined that poverty explains at least 46% of the scores on their tests. Results from the SAT and ACT exams have shown a high correlation between scores and family income.

Closer to home, the STAAR test, administered yearly to Texas students, has also demonstrated the effects of poverty on education. In 2013, only "69 percent of economically disadvantaged students passed all subjects in all grades compared to the state average of 77 percent. Results in individual grades and subjects were the same: The economically disadvantaged student subgroup had a lower passing rate than the state average on every test."