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UT Chancellor Writes GOP Leaders To Oppose 'Campus Carry'

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AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The new chancellor of the University of Texas System is telling Governor Greg Abbott and other top Republicans that concealed handguns at colleges will make campus less safe.

William McRaven is a former Navy admiral who directed the special forces operation to kill Osama Bin Laden. He took over the lead of the University of Texas System this month.

So called "campus carry" has been a hot-button issue for lawmakers in recent years and had strong backing from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. But earlier this week Patrick said the fight for the open carry of handguns is not a priority and didn't have the votes to pass.

A Senate bill filed this week allowing campus carry already has 19 co-sponsors, the precise number needed to pass out of that chamber.

McRaven wrote Abbott, Patrick and House speaker Joe Straus on Thursday, telling them students, parents, faculty and police all don't want concealed weapons on campus.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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