'Campus Carry' Bill Faces Texas House Vote

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas is moving closer to allowing guns on college campuses. The State House will vote on this issue on Tuesday in Austin, but some higher education officials -- including leaders from the University of Texas system -- have joined police in resisting the idea.

One loud voice against the 'campus carry' bill is William McRaven, former head of U.S. Special Operations Command.

McRaven told lawmakers that allowing concealed handguns in college classrooms would make universities less safe. As the new chancellor for the University of Texas system, McRaven also explained that it would make it harder for schools to recruit and keep top faculty and staff members.

That kind of opposition has killed the bill in previous years.

However, gun rights groups call the bill an important self-defense measure for students and teachers. They point to the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, where a gunman killed 32 people on campus.

The bill cleared the Republican-controlled Texas Senate in March, but the Texas House vote was pushed back.

Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to expand gun rights, but legislators only have one week left in the regular session to get a new law onto Abbott's desk for signing. The regular session ends on June 1.