This week's deadly stabbing outside of a University of Texas-Austin gymnasium has reignited the debate over the so-called Campus Carry bill, which was supposed to make college campuses safe.
"It does make a lot of sense right now for people to take up the option of taking self-defense into their own hands," Brian Bensimon, Southwest regional director for Students for Concealed Carry, tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
When campus carry took effect in August 2016, the loudest opposition came from the UT system's flagship campus. Students there rallied against the bill, which they felt made campus less safe. There were well-publicized anti-gun marches that resulted in the school carving out exemptions.
"For instances, professors have the individual discretion to ban firearms from their offices," Bensimon explains. "That's something we argued against."
He feels the stabbing will cause some students to take a look in the mirror and question their opposition to campus carry. As part of the phase in, the rules take effect in August 2017 for Community Colleges.
The man accused of the stabbing, Kendrex White, is currently facing murder charges, but that could be upgraded. This week, UT Police Chief David Carter revealed that the biology student was dealing with a mental illness.
"We know and have discovered that recently he was involuntarily committed in another city," he said.
According to police, White, 21, left a building on campus, pulled a knife and started slashing students, killing one.
There were early reports that a student with a concealed weapon tried to stop White, but UTPD have since debunked what was rumor on social media.
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