Activists protest after Texas judge rejects campus carry ban at the University of Texas

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An attempt by three professors from the University of Texas to ban the possession of concealed guns in their classrooms was rejected by United States District Judge Lee Yeakel.

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People have been allowed to carry concealed firearms on public university campuses in Texas since 2015, as long as they have a concealed carry permit and their firearm is legal. Professors Jennifer Glass, Lisa Moore and Mia Carter’s case revolved around the argument that allowing guns in the classroom squashes open debate, according to The Hayride.

RELATED: Texas Legislature Passes Law Allowing Concealed Firearms on Campuses

An excerpt of their argument reads that the “possibility of the presence of concealed weapons in a classroom impedes my and other professors’ ability to create a daring, intellectually active, mutually supportive, and engaged community of thinkers.”

Both Yeakel and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton failed to recognize the argument as valid, with Yeakel saying the professors “failed to substantiate their fear” and Paxton adding in a statement that the professors’ concerns were “hardly a valid basis to set the law aside.”

Concealed carry advocates like Antonio Okafor, founder of EmPOWERed, argue that the ability to carry a concealed weapon gives students-particularly women-the chance to defend themselves in a situation like the Virginia Tech shooting.

RELATED: Georgia’s New Campus Concealed Carry Law Has Some Asking if Guns and Alcohol-Heavy Situations is a Good Idea

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