Two New Texas Laws Regarding Guns on School Grounds Now in Effect

Two New Texas Laws Regarding Guns on School Grounds Now in Effect

The gun laws, which went into effect just hours after a shooting left five dead in Midland and Odessa, further loosen gun restrictions.

  • By Sherelle Black
  • September 05, 2019

New Texas gun laws went into effect on Sunday; two of them regarding school districts and school safety.

The gun laws, which went into effect just hours after a shooting left five dead in Midland and Odessa, further loosen gun restrictions.

House Bill 1143 allows school employees and other licensed gun owners to store a firearm or ammunition in a locked vehicle on a school parking lot as long as it is concealed.

Kris Brown, president of gun violence prevention advocacy group Brady, told CNN it seems lawmakers are putting school children in further risk with the new laws.

"Many states took the opportunity in the last two years to learn lessons from the tragedies in Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Parkland, and the every day gun violence that plagues our citizens, and enacted new laws to protect public safety through expanded background checks and extreme risk laws," Brown said.

"Texas lawmakers, instead ... doubled down on an NRA led agenda to encourage guns everywhere, no matter the risks and costs to safety."

A second bill, HB 1387, loosens restrictions on how many armed school marshals a school district can hire.

Some districts, like Lubbock Independent School District, said it will continue to use the district’s police department.

“We’ve increased the number of officers by three this year,” Stacy Carter, director of school safety and security, told Everything Lubbock . “We even have some that are permanently stationed on campuses and some that share campus responsibilities across the district.”

Other gun laws pertain to Texans being allowed to have weapons in apartments, foster homes and in places of worship.

About the Author

Sherelle Black is a Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

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