Republican Texas State Senator Bob Hall of North Texas wants to expand campus carry to allow licensed adults to carry guns in charter and public schools.
SMU political scientist Cal Jillson says there is already a Marshal's program in place. Trained and licensed carriers can be armed in school. "The idea behind that, from it's supporters, is should some crazed individual come in and start shooting up the place, he can be confronted by these trained and armed principals and teachers. Not many school districts have taken that up. What Senator Hall is proposing is that anyone who is licensed to carry a gun in Texas should be able to carry that gun into the school. I don't think many people will see that as a good idea. But many people didn't believe that campus carry was going to pass so you can never be entirely sure."
He says this isn't the right year. "The legislature is very much bound up with issues like the budget and working on the energy grid."
He says Senator Hall has been interested in expanding gun rights for awhile. "I don't think this is the session where licensed carry in K-12 schools is going to take up a lot of the legislatures time."