Texas Senate passes bill to allow teachers to keep guns in cars

Lawmakers in the Texas Senate passed a bill Monday that would allow teachers and school employees with concealed carry permits to keep guns in their vehicles while parked on school property.

The Houston Chronicle reported the measure, Senate Bill 1942, passed on a 25-6 vote in the Republican-controlled Senate, after an amendment was shot down that would have mandated the guns be securely stored in the vehicles. As currently written, the bill only requires the guns be kept in a locked car and placed out of view.

Those opposed argued guns should not be kept on school grounds near children.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes, noted that parents are currently allowed to keep guns in their vehicles when picking up and dropping off their kids. Private sector employees are also allowed to keep firearms in their vehicles while parked at work.

“You might say that we are now discriminating against our school employees because everybody else can have a gun in their car on campus, but not school employees,” Hughes said. “We ought to remove that limitation on them.”

The bill now heads to the Texas House for consideration.

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