In Austin, the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety is debating a bill that would make it legal to carry a gun on Texas college campuses.

The proposals would allow concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons around campus, including in buildings and classrooms.  Supporters say it's a gun-rights issue and critical self-defense measure to prevent violent crime and mass shootings such as the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007.

Opponents, including some university administrators, say guns will only make campuses more dangerous.

Texas has become a prime battleground for a national campaign to open campuses to firearms because of its gun culture and its size, with 38 public universities and more than 500,000 students.

Opponents of this bill say students and faculty would live in fear of their classmates and colleagues, because they would never know who might pull a gun over a poor grade, a broken romance or drunken argument.

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