Members of the TCU Forensics team are playing an important role in the ongoing campus carry discussions at TCU.

TCU, along with other private universities in Texas, must make the decision to opt in or out of new legislation that would allow CHL holders to carry weapons on campus.

On Thursday, Sept. 10, hundreds of students, faculty and administrators at TCU gathered on campus to watch a debate about the issue.

Team vice president Shelby Whitson and Donald Griffin presented in affirmation of opting in to Senate Bill 11 for ‘campus carry.’

Advocating for opting out of the legislation was team president Timothy Betts and Erika Simonson.

Each member presented a nine minute constructive speech outlining the main arguments for each side.

Shelby Whitson spoke first for the opt in team, citing individual liberty as the main focus of their position. She also provided facts about the safety of concealed weapons and the precedent of campus carry at other universities.

Erika Simonson led for the opposing team. She brought the concerns expressed by students, faculty and TCU police officers to the debate.

Donald Griffin and Timothy Betts then elaborated on both sides.

Griffin addressed issues of consistency among schools and venues, and Betts questioned what it would mean for the learning environment if guns were present.

After the initial arguments were on the table, each member spoke for a four minute rebuttal.

Once the debaters had concluded with their arguments, the floor was opened for an audience Q&A.

The conversation over campus carry will continue at TCU. There will be two forums in the coming months where people can participate in the decision-making process.

Vice chancellor for student affairs, Kathy Cavins-Tull has stated that TCU will make their decision some time in November.