In what is becoming commonplace for the 83rd session, the Texas Senate passed SB1907, a bill by Sen. Glenn Hegar (R-18) that would allow students to have guns on, near, um, no, how about far, far away from their persons while on campus. From Claire Cardona in the Dallas Morning News:

Senators voted Tuesday to allow students to keep guns in their cars on college campuses, after Democrats sought and received assurances that the measure wouldn’t be broadened to allow concealed handguns to be carried at universities.

The bill would grant students who have concealed-handgun licenses the ability to store their guns legally in their cars on streets and in parking lots at institutions of higher education. No college, public or private, would be able to opt out, which they currently are allowed to do.

Sen. Glenn Hegar, the measure’s author, pledged to keep his bill limited.

“Keeping firearms locked out of sight, out of mind is the only thing I want to pass to the governor’s desk,” said Hegar, R-Katy. Campus carry “is not this legislation. I don’t want that on here; this is a totally different issue.”

The measure passed on a 27-4 vote, with eight Democrats joining the chamber’s 19 Republicans. It now goes to the House.

Democrats have long been concerned about allowing concealed handgun license holders to bring guns into classrooms, something that many university administrators oppose. The chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, Democrat John Whitmire of Houston, said his committee would not consider such a bill.

And like clockwork, the Harris County Republican Party took to Facebook to sing the praises of Sen. Hegar. But the comments tell you what people really think:

Cecelia Ferry Peterson OK, criminals, just hold on a sec while just run to my car and get the means to defend myself. smh One word: Luby’s

Ed Sarlls III Next year: Increased vehicular burglaries in college parking lots.

Ann Pavalock This is progress??? What??? No, not good enough! I avoid as much as possible those establishments that prohibit guns! Now, how many places is that? Well, my doctors office for one, my grand children’s school, the post office and all hospitals!! Not easy to do by any means! Won’t shop at Ace Hardware because there is a post office in the store!

This isn’t campus carry and it isn’t anything to be proud of. Recall that Lt. Gov. Dewhurst shipped the real campus carry bill to Sen. John Whitmire to be bottled up and put in the trash bin.

Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, D-Houston, has left the campus carry bill written by Rep. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, hanging since January. He said he doesn’t intend to schedule it for a hearing.

The Texas House is having a little bit better luck with Rep. Allen Fletcher’s (R-130) HB972, which he moved out of committee and is now scheduled for a vote by the full House. Via AP’s Jim Vertuno:

The Calendars Committee scheduled the floor vote for Saturday in the House. Getting the bill even that far is a significant development for supporters of an issue that erupted into one of the most contentious of the session two years ago. In 2011, the issue died without a vote in the House despite a majority of member signing on in support.

This year, the House version of the bill would eliminate the current ban on concealed weapons at colleges and universities, but it still allows public schools to ban weapons if they first meet with students, faculty and staff to consider their input. Private schools would be allowed to opt in.

Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Van, one of the primary authors of the bill, said the opt-out language has softened opposition from higher education officials who worry that allowing guns on campus will increase campus violence and suicide. He said he expects the House will approve it but declined to discuss its prospects in the Senate.

“I think it will pass,” in the House, Flynn said Monday. “Texas is a rural state … Most of the opposition has been in Austin.”

The House bill has severe flaws but is far better than the mush coming out of the Senate. In related news, we get reports of the high-crime University of Houston / Texas Southern University area. Via Robert Stanton in the Houston Chronicle:

Coming in at No. 15 in the U.S. is a Houston neighborhood centered at the intersection of Dowling and McGowen Streets, located in Houston’s historic Third Ward – a broad geographical area that includes stately mansions, the University of Houston and Texas Southern University…..

The violent crime rate (per 1,000) is reported as 75.89, and residents there have a 1 in 13 chance of becoming a victim of crime in one year.

The problem with the House bill is that it allows universities to “opt-out”, which makes the left giddy and scares the bejabbers out of the students that have to tell criminals to “wait a minute while I run to the parking lot and get my weapon”.

Where have all the Republicans gone?

In related-related news, don’t forget that Jerry Patterson is in Houston tomorrow.