Appeals court hears challenge to Texas law

Attorneys for three University of Texas professors asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to revive their challenge of a law allowing people with concealed-handgun licenses to carry weapons on public university campuses.

Two of the professors, Lisa Moore and Mia Carter, were in the front row as a three- judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard the argu- ments.

Last year, a federal judge in Texas dismissed the suit. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel said Moore, Carter and Jennifer Glass offered “no con- crete evidence” to substantiate concerns that having armed students in their class- room would have a “chilling effect” on the fee exchange of ideas.

Yeakel said that, because they failed to clearly show they were harmed by the law, they had no legal standing to pursue the suit.

Jason LaFond, arguing for the Texas Solicitor Gener- al’s Office, said Yeakel’s ruling should stand. He argued that the subjective fear of a student bringing a gun to the classroom doesn’t give them standing to challenge the law, he said.

“Lots of people fear flying,” LaFond told the panel. “That doesn’t mean it’s rea- sonable to think that a plane is going to crash.”

Renea Hicks, arguing for the professors, said they should have the freedom to control their classroom. And, he said, the law denies the professors the right to take steps against a very real danger. He mentioned campus shootings in Texas, Flor- ida and Virginia Tech.

“We’re not asking for gov- ernment protection. We’re asking for self-protection,” Hicks said.

“The government won’t let them protect themselves” by banning guns from their classrooms.

He also said national stud- ies and the views of national professional organizations, including the American Asso- ciation of University Profes- sors, attest to the harm guns in a classroom can do to academic freedom.

Judges Carolyn Dineen King, Leslie Southwick and James Ho heard the argu- ments. Ho appeared skep- tical of Hicks’ arguments. rently