Guns in our Public Hospitals, Offices and Universities
TSEU Resolution on the Texas Gun Policy
With the passage of new gun legislation in Texas, the Executive Board of TSEU/CWA Local 6186 urges state agency and university leaders to make the safety of employees, students, and clients their number one priority in considering how to follow the new laws.
State agency employees work daily with vulnerable populations in frequently stressful situations: abused children, the developmentally disabled, the medically fragile, the mentally ill, criminal offenders, and families in need. Introducing openly displayed weapons into those situations would not only make them more stressful, it could lead to dangerous situations for both staff and the clients they are trying to assist.
State universities and health science centers should be places where free speech is respected, students feel safe to learn, and educators feel safe to teach. With the wave of mass shootings taking place at schools and universities across the country in recent years, introducing weapons will only stir up more fear and anxiety on Texas campuses.
As the voice of 11,000 state agency and university employees and retirees from across Texas, the Texas State Employees Union calls on state leaders to limit as much as possible the open display of weapons in all state agencies and to allow state university communities to set their own gun policies, including the maintenance of gun free campuses.
With the passage of new gun legislation in Texas, the Executive Board of TSEU/CWA Local 6186 urges state agency and university leaders to make the safety of employees, students, and clients their number one priority in considering how to follow the new laws.