Texas legislators are currently reviewing a series of firearm-related bills that, if passed, would mark a historic and controversial shift in U.S. gun policy. Among them are House Bill 2470 and House Bill 4201, which together would make Texas the first state in the nation to legally allow teenagers to carry handguns on school campuses.
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“Instead of taking action against gun violence by strengthening our weak laws, our lawmakers are convinced that more guns in our communities is the answer,” said Molly Bursey, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Putting more guns into dangerous hands, and in more sensitive places, will only lead to more violence, more fear, and more loss,” as reported by Moms Demand Action.
HB 2470 proposes lowering the minimum age to possess and obtain a license to carry a handgun from 21 to 18, while HB 4201 would permit license holders to carry concealed firearms in locations currently designated as sensitive, such as schools, hospitals, airports, bars, and government buildings.
These proposals have drawn sharp criticism from gun safety advocates and student-led organizations who argue that such measures would worsen the state’s already significant gun violence problem. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, more than 4,300 people die by guns in Texas each year, and gun-related injuries total nearly 8,000 annually.
Hayden Presley, a student leader with the University of Texas at Austin’s Students Demand Action chapter, also spoke out. “It’s absolutely crazy that our lawmakers would think that putting more guns into the hands of young people—people younger than me—would make us safer. We know it won’t, and we demand better ‘solutions’ than that.”
In 2024 alone, Texas saw at least 17 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, highlighting concerns about the potential consequences of introducing more firearms into educational settings.
In addition to HB 2470 and HB 4201, lawmakers are considering several other bills that critics say would further loosen gun restrictions across the state. These include:
HB 259, which would remove the prohibition on short-barreled rifles and shotguns;
HB 1128, which would allow election judges and early voting clerks to carry concealed handguns at polling places;
HB 1794, which would allow any licensed individual to carry concealed firearms at polling locations;
HB 2771, which would narrow the list of felonies that disqualify individuals from firearm ownership;
HB 3053, which would prohibit localities from organizing gun buyback programs;
HB 3428, which would limit which restaurants and bars can prohibit firearms;
HB 3924, which would allow school marshals to openly carry handguns on campuses
Just what Texas needs: high school students carrying handguns to school. What possibly could go wrong, right?
I know several Texans. Decent, thoughtful, caring people who, I know, without asking them, oppose allowing high school students to carry handguns to school. Why don’t I need to ask them? Unlike their Republican legislators, these Texans know that mixing handguns with immature brains is a recipe for disaster. They know more guns don’t make them safer and only lead to more violence, injury, and death.
For the life of me, I don’t understand how anyone could think that allowing teens with underdeveloped brains to carry firearms while attending classes is a good idea.
What do you think, readers? Should we arm high school students?
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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