Austin, Tex. — “WHAT are you doing?”

I had just shot a gun for the first time. The instructor was yelling at me because he couldn’t understand how a 22-year-old missed a target some four feet tall and two feet wide, standing only nine feet away. But he was completely at ease when, 10 minutes later, he certified me for a concealed handgun license application.

In late May, after school let out, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that, among other things, authorized individuals with concealed handgun licenses to carry firearms in most college buildings. “Campus carry” was a hard-fought victory for Republicans. My school — the University of Texas at Austin — continues to largely oppose the law. Administrators, the student government and the faculty council have all publicly regretted our legal reality. We don’t like it that students 21 or older can get a license, buy a gun and bring that gun to class. One clever undergraduate’s protest involves students bringing sex toys to school because, unlike guns, they are not allowed on campus.

On behalf of our student government, I moderated a debate in November between the University Democrats and the College Republicans. My goal was to get past litigating the merits of campus carry. Considering our governor’s and legislators’ sympathies, the law is here to stay; we should responsibly approach the challenges it presents.

One of these challenges lies in ensuring that license holders are actually responsible. While Republicans swear by their regulatory scheme, Democrats point out that it takes more training to become a manicurist than to carry a Smith & Wesson.