Guns, the 2nd Amendment, the NRA and other firearm related things are a huge deal in Texas. Before I moved to Texas I had no idea -Texas culture is hard for someone from the North to understand. Today, campus carry is the hot topic in Texas.

Over the past 4 months I’ve delved into the issue of campus carry, Senate Bill 11 and its implementation. I’ve surveyed and interviewed students at ACU, read and re-read the legislative documents, written research papers and legal briefs, co-authored editorials and written Optimist stories about the events surrounding campus carry.

I’ve realized that not only do students have a poor understanding of the situation, they are also very likely to take sides, quickly and staunchly.

62% of the students that I surveyed said that they did not have a good grasp of campus carry in Texas. Many students pointed at the university to educate them, but I believe that the onus falls on the students to educate themselves. We are no longer children, but adults.

ACU opted out of the bill and will not allow CHL permit holders to carry their weapons on campus, a decision that has been echoed by most private institutions in Texas.

This column is not intended to educate or inform you about campus carry and Senate Bill 11. Instead, I urge you to take a step back from this issue that Texans are so wonderfully passionate about. Firearms can be a tremendous source of protection or enjoyment, but they can also frighten and harm people. Do some research into what the other side believes and why they think what they do.

You might be surprised and realize that many of you have similar views about guns, you just express those views in a different way.

The convergence of guns and education is too important of a topic to take lightly. Be proud that your university put significant effort into it’s decision, but also take pride in putting due research and thought into your own opinion on the issue. You’ll be better off and so will those around you.