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New law, same city

Denton officer thinks open carry will not change anything

Matt Olson, Copy Editor

In June of last year, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 910, which entails the open carry law, which went into effect Jan. 1, and the campus carry law, which will go into effect this August. Open carry allows for individuals with gun permits to openly carry rifles and holstered handguns in public, and campus carry allows for individuals with gun permits on college campuses to possess concealed weapons.

Since open carry has gone into effect, the city of Denton has been relatively untouched by the legislation. Denton police community resource officer Orlando Hinajosa reported: “We, since Jan. 1, haven’t seen anyone to this day open carry, and I believe we haven’t had any [emergency or false emergency] calls about open carry.”

Hinajosa referred to instances of armed protestors on the Denton Square in years past: “When people would carry their rifles on the Square, that got attention, and people called the police.”

When asked about “open carry” and its effect on TWU, Department of Public Safety Chief Elizabeth Pauley said in an interview: “It hasn’t affected campus.”

When asked what would happen if an individual decided to openly carry a firearm on campus, Pauley replied: “We’ll deal with them according to the law.”

Hinajosa concluded: “It’s almost February now, and we haven’t seen or heard anything yet. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.”

Since campus carry has been announced, TWU has established a timeline in order to meet the requirements of the law as well as the needs of the students, staff and faculty. When asked about new developments regarding TWU’s approach to implementing campus carry, Pauley stated: “We’re on a timeline that was presented in August. We’re on track like we should be.”

For more information on “campus carry,” visit http://www.twu.edu/dps/campus-carry.asp

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