Chancellors to appear at legislative hearing on guns

A sign erected in front of the North Main Church of God in Christ in Houston alerts members and visitors that open carry of handguns is prohibited. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle ) A sign erected in front of the North Main Church of God in Christ in Houston alerts members and visitors that open carry of handguns is prohibited. (Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Chancellors to appear at legislative hearing on guns 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN - Chancellors from Texas' six public university systems are expected to make an appearance at a legislative hearing this week that will tackle campus carry and open carry.

University of Texas System Chancellor Bill McRaven, Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp, and their counterparts at Texas Tech, the University of Houston, North Texas and Texas State have been invited to testify at a Tuesday meeting of the Senate Committee on State Affairs.

Deputy Attorney General Brantley Starr and Justin Wood, a chief prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, have also been invited to speak. (For a full list of those invited to testidy, scroll down)

The committee, headed by Houston Republican Joan Huffman, will review the recently passed open carry and campus carry laws. The former, which went into effect on Jan. 1, allows anyone with a so-called "license to carry" (formerly concealed handgun license) to openly carry their handgun in a hip or shoulder holster.

The Houston Chronicle's Lauren McGaughy will be live-tweeting from the hearing. Click here to follow her on Twitter.

Specifically, it is charged with monitoring "the implementation of open and campus carry legislation and determine if the current laws regulating the places that handguns can be carried are easily understood or if clarification is needed to ensure the average citizen understands when, where, and under what circumstances it is lawful to carry a weapon, versus when it is a criminal offense for which there may be a defense."

Campus carry will go into effect this fall for four-year public universities and will allow those with a license to carry concealed handguns into most school buildings. While the law gives campus presidents the discretion to designate limited gun-free zones on campus, debate is ongoing as to whether they can prohibit concealed carry in broad areas, such as all dormitories or classrooms.

The implementation of open carry has also been causing some confusion, especially for local and county governments. A new law that went into effect in Sept. 1 allows the attorney general to sue these entities for improperly posting "no guns" signs at their facilities. Combined with open carry, the penalties law has some concerned that members of the public will be able to bring guns into city halls, public zoos and state hospitals and clinics.

Private businesses and universities can continue to prohibit guns in their establishments.

Testimony:

A. Panel 1

1. Renu Khator, Chancellor, University of Houston System

2. Lee Jackson, Chancellor, University of North Texas System

3. William McRaven, Chancellor, University of Texas System

B. Panel 2

1. John Sharp, Chancellor, Texas A&M University System

2. Brian McCall, Chancellor, Texas State University System

3. Robert Duncan, Chancellor, Texas Tech University System

C. Panel 3

1. Justin Wood, Chief Prosecutor, Major Offenders Division, Harris County District Attorney's Office

2. Brantley Starr, Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, Office of the Attorney General

3. Luis Gonzalez, Chief, Texas Highway Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety

4. RenEarl Bowie, Assistant Director, Regulatory Services Division, Texas Department of Public Safety

D. Panel 4

1. Andrea Brauer, Executive Director, Texas Gun Sense

2. Richard Briscoe, Legislative Director, Open Carry Texas

3. Anna Kehde, Texas Chapter Lead, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

4. Alice Tripp, Legislative Director, Texas State Rifle Association

E. Panel 5

1. Al Flores, General Counsel, Gringo's Mexican Kitchen & Jimmy Changas

2. Michael Cargill, Owner, Central Texas Gun Works

3. Antonia Okafor, Southwest Regional Director, Students for Concealed Carry

4. Joan Neuberger, Professor of History, University of Texas-Austin, and Co-Chair, Steering Committee, Gun Free UT