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Two groups that oppose just about all regulation of guns -- Come and Take It Texas and DontComply.com -- announced Wednesday that they would move a planned "fake mass shooting" off the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, The Austin American-Statesman reported. Plans for the event have upset many at UT, where many students and faculty members are angry over a new state campus carry law that will permit more guns on campus. The University of Texas at Austin also has a tragic history with a real mass shooting in 1966.
The pro-gun groups announced that they would move their event to a spot adjacent to campus after the university said they had no legal right to hold the event on campus. "Our Board of Regents' rules designate our campus as a space reserved for the business, research and educational purposes of UT Austin," said a university statement. "Within the university community, the campus is a place for the vigorous exchange of diverse viewpoints, which is an essential part of the educational experience. The property or buildings owned or controlled by UT Austin are not, however, open to outside groups for assembly, speech or other activities, including theatrical performances, as are the public streets, sidewalks and parks. Only the university itself, faculty, staff and student groups may engage in such activities on campus. This applies equally to an outside protest group, an outside theater troupe or any outside group wishing to use the facilities or grounds of the university."
The university statement added that if outside groups use university spaces without permission, it "becomes a criminal trespass matter."
