By Jillian Anderson
Reporter
The room filled to the brim and a camera in the back, the Student Senate sets up to go about its business. It’s an old topic. Gannon McCahill, a member of Baylor Student Senate, presented his proposed bill for the allowance of concealed carry.
“I believe we have been denied our Second Amendment rights,” McCahill stated. McCahill said that “Baylor had fought for the right” to allow private universities the latitude to choose whether or not concealed handguns could be allowed on campus. The main point is to allow Baylor students to be able to carry their concealed weapons as long as they have a license. The bill is under construction and will be presented for voting at the next Student Senate session. McCahill declined to further comment on the bill. “I’ll be willing to talk about it at a later time,” McCahill said.
The First Reading is a presentation for the proposed bill. McCahill simply presented his bill idea.
“It won’t be voted on until the Second Reading,” stated Lindsey Bacque, the Student Government’s Public Relations Chair. Bacque outlined the process of how bills work. The presentation made in the meeting on September 10 was the first step in the process of bill creation. After the First Reading on September 10, the bill will be presented for review to the Campus Improvements and Affairs Committee. If passed there, it will move to the Second Reading where Student Senate will vote.
The question of concealed carry has been a continuing issue on Baylor’s campus. In March 2013, 600 Baylor students representing the Baylor Young Conservatives presented a petition to Senator Brian Birdwell to give public and private universities the choice to allow concealed handguns on campuses.
