In 1966, former U.S. Marine and engineering student Charles Whitman killed 14 people on campus, mainly from atop the iconic University of Texas Tower, after killing his wife and mother in one of the first U.S. college mass shootings in the modern era. On Monday, the university will hold a memorial for the 50th anniversary of the mass shooting -- the same day Texas becomes a campus carry state. Photo by Jeff Gunn/Flickr

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The University of Texas at Austin on Monday is holding a memorial to mark the 50th anniversary of the UT Tower mass shooting as the state's new campus carry law goes into effect.

One of the first U.S. college mass shootings in the modern era occurred at UT, where former U.S. Marine and engineering student Charles Whitman killed 14 people on campus after killing his wife and mother in 1966.


The bells of the Tower Carillon will be rung at noon Monday before the tower clock stops for 24 hours. The university's main hall will see its flags lowered. The university on Monday unveiled a stone monument to to commemorate the victims of the shooting -- the first official memorial for the tragic event.

Speakers at the memorial event that is opened to the public include University of Texas President Greg Fenves; shooting survivor and co-chair of the Texas Tower Memorial Committee Claire Wilson James; James Bryce, who witnessed the shooting; and Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, who was elected president of the University of Texas at Austin student body in 1967, KXAN reported.

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Though the anniversary and the beginning of Texas' campus carry law begin the same day, there are some restrictions placed on people who may want to bring weapons to campus.

Texas law does not allow "open carry" and a person 21 or older must be licensed in order to carry a concealed handgun on campus. The University of Texas made some regulations after the law passed, including that handguns must be kept away from patient care areas, formal hearings and laboratories where a weapon could cause even greater harm in areas where dangerous chemicals, biologic agents or explosives are housed.

People who have a license and wish to carry a handgun on campus must carry it at all times, or the weapon must be in a secured in a backpack or handbag always near the carrier, or the weapon must be secured in a locked, privately owned or leased vehicle, the University of Texas said.

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Handguns must also be carried in a tight-grip holster that completely covers the trigger and trigger guard area. Semiautomatic handguns must be carried without a chambered round of ammunition.

The university also said fewer than 1 percent of students have gun licenses and one in every 500 students are older than 21 -- which is the legal age to acquire a concealed weapon permit. For the past 20 years, Texas law allowed people to carry concealed weapons on campus but not in buildings.

University officials are still encouraging people to call police if they see someone with a gun, as the weapon is supposed to be concealed at all times. Guns are still banned in sports arenas. Schools can ban guns in certain areas, such as day cares and dormitories.

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The campus carry law does not yet apply to community colleges or private schools. Private schools can opt out of the law. Only one private school -- Amberton University -- plans to allow guns on campus in 2017, when the law will apply to community colleges and private schools.