Campus carry no threat to LGBT safety, TX student says

Despite the claims of gun-control activists, the LGBTQ community has nothing to fear from the impending implementation of campus carry, a Texas student opined recently.

University of Houston senior Jason Ozenne told The Daily Cougar that despite feeling “unsafe” on campus currently, he doesn’t believe allowing students to carry concealed firearms on campus will have much of an impact one way or the other.

Texas Senate Bill 11, which takes effect August 1, prohibits colleges and universities from banning lawful concealed carry on campus, prompting opponents to make often-fantastic predictions that the law would jeopardize the safety of professors, minorities, and “marginalized” students in general.

[RELATED: 150 UT professors vow to defy campus carry law]

Since Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed SB 11 into law, most private universities in the state—including Rice University, Baylor University, and Trinity University— have decided to take advantage of an opt-out provision, while faculty and administrators at public institutions have explored a variety of tactics for skirting the mandate, at one point earning them a rebuke from the Attorney General.

[RELATED: TX prof’s file suit to block gun rights on campuses]

As a member of the LGBTQ community, Ozenne stated that he does not feel safe at UH, citing that as a primary reason why he does not live on campus, but pointed out in the context of discussing the Orlando shooting that someone who wishes to harm LGBTQ individuals can do so even without a concealed carry permit.

Calling gun control a “catch-22,” Ozenne asserted that there is some validity to both sides of the argument.

“If someone has that much hatred toward LGBTQ (people), they will stop at nothing to hurt others,” he said, adding that “criminals will use guns, any weapons, no matter if it is legal or not.”

On the flip side, Ozenne dismissed the idea that “everyone having a gun is the answer to this problem either,” saying it is “absurd” to believe that owning a gun would have “ fixed” the Orlando situation.

“Do I believe that it could have stopped (or) slowed him down though? Absolutely,” he stated. “As far as this being on a school (campus), it would depend on the situation (or) location. But I think that for the most part, gun violence will remain static on campus.”

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @AutumnDawnPrice