The College District prohibits the use, possession, or display of a firearm on College District property or at a College District-sponsored or -related activity in violation of law and College District regulations.
This policy does not apply to commissioned peace officers in accordance with law.
2. Campus – All land and buildings owned or leased by an institution of higher education.
3. Premises – A building or a portion of building. The term does not include any public or private driveway,
street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area.
4. Campus Housing – A residential facility owned or leased and operated by the College District, including
the ranch bunkhouse.
5. Collegiate Sports – Intercollegiate, club, and intermural athletic activities.
6. Concealed Handgun – A handgun, the presence of which is not openly noticeable to the ordinary
observation of a reasonable person.
7. Handgun – Any firearm that is designed, made, or adapted to be fired with one hand.
8. Intramural Athletic Competition – Intramural sports organized by TVCC Student Lift.
9. License Holder – A person issued a License-to-Carry a handgun by the Texas Department of Public Safety
under Chapter 411 of the Texas Government Code.
10. Store – To take steps that a reasonable person would take to prevent access to a firearm, including but not
limited to placing a firearm in an approved locked container. For purposes of this policy, a firearm
that is temporarily rendered inoperable by use of a trigger lock or other means is not stored.
11. On or about their person – On your person or within your reach and under your control.
A license holder must display his or her license to carry when directed by a law enforcement officer in accordance with law. Otherwise, an individual shall not be required to disclose whether he or she is a license holder in order to participate in any program offered by the College District, except as required by law.
License holders must secure their handgun when it is not on or about their person. License holders must carry their handgun in a holster or case specifically designed to carry a firearm that completely covers the trigger and entire trigger guard area. The holster must have sufficient tension or grip on the handgun to retain it in the holster even when subjected to unexpected jostling.
License holders may not carry a partially or wholly visible handgun or intentionally or knowingly display a handgun in plain view of another person, even if holstered, on College District premises, including public driveways, streets, sidewalks, walkways, parking lots, parking garages, or other parking areas, in accordance with law.
The College District shall not provide storage for license holders to secure their handguns. License holders may secure their handgun in a locked, privately owned or leased vehicle.
A license holder may carry his or her handgun in a College District owned vehicle and store it in the vehicle as permitted by law while traveling on College District business.
License holders living in College District residential housing, including staff whose employment responsibilities require them to reside on campus, may store their handgun in an approved gun safe that meets the safety requirements set forth in administrative regulations.
An individual who resides with a license holder who possesses a firearm may request to be moved to another room.
License holders are prohibited from carrying concealed handguns in accordance with law and this policy as follows:
- A location where a collegiate, professional, or intramural athletic competition or sporting event is taking place in accordance with law. Notice, as required by law, shall be posted during such events at the following locations: Cardinal Gym, Bruce Field, and the Cain Softball Fields.
- A location used as a church, synagogue, or other established place of religious worship in accordance with law.
- A location designated as a polling place on the day of a federal, state, or local election, including while early voting is in progress in accordance with law.
- A location where the campus premises is used by a court unless the handgun is carried pursuant to written regulation or written authorization of the court in accordance with law.
- A nonpublic, secure portion of the College District Police Department used to conduct official business in accordance with law.
- A location where mental health counseling is provided.
- In the room or rooms where a properly posted open meeting, subject to the Open Meetings Act, is taking place so long as notice is provided in accordance with law.
- In rooms exclusively used for the Early College High School Pinnacle Program. These areas shall be gun free zones only during Pinnacle class times.
- In locations where formal hearings such as student disciplinary hearings, student grade appeal hearings, financial aid appeal hearings, or employee disciplinary hearings are being held.
- In all testing centers and rooms specifically used for providing tests where the contracted testing company strictly prohibits firearms such as CLEP, ACT, GED, Comptia-Nes-NBTS, and Early Child Hood Development.
- Areas where a pre-K-12 school-sponsored activity, including all high school graduations, is conducted in a classroom or in a specific building and this is the only event occurring in that specific classroom or building.
event. The request must describe the specific, factual reasons for the temporary prohibition, including any safety
concerns, the nature of the student population, and any unique features or circumstances related to the building, part of
a building, or activity that regularly takes place in the building.
The College District shall publish this policy annually in appropriate publications and on the College District website.
Training shall be provided to faculty, staff, and students at freshman orientation, new hire orientation, and at other appropriate events upon request.
The College President shall appoint a concealed carry committee to hear requests to amend this policy. The committee shall research and make a recommendation to the College President. The College President may amend this policy to designate locations where the carrying of concealed handguns is prohibited. Prohibitions are based on specific safety considerations, the nature of the student population, and the uniqueness of the campus environment and shall not generally prohibit or have the effect of generally prohibiting license holders from carrying concealed handguns on College District property. Amendments to this policy shall be submitted to the Board for approval.
The College President shall prepare a report describing the College District’s adopted rules regulating concealed carry on campus no later than September 1st of every even-numbered year in accordance with law.
The College District prohibits the use, possession, or display of any illegal knife, club, or prohibited weapon, as defined by law, on College District property or at a College District-sponsored or -related activity, unless written authorization is granted in advance by the College President or designee.
Additionally, the following weapons are prohibited on College District property or at any College District-sponsored or -related activity:
2. Incendiary devices;
3. Instruments designed to expel a projectile with the use of pressurized air, like a BB gun;
4. Razors;
5. Chains; or
6. Martial arts throwing stars.
The possession or use of articles not generally considered to be weapons may be prohibited when the College President or designeeor designee determines that a danger exists for any student, College District employee, or College District property by virtue of possession or use.
Employees and students found to be in violation of this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action. [See DH, FM, and FMA]
Handguns may not be stored in College District housing during extended breaks, including, but not limited to: spring break, Christmas break, Thanksgiving break, and summer break.
Administrative Regulations
The following is required for gun safes used in College District residential housing:
1. Be large enough to fully contain all firearms and ammunition placed in it and provide for secure storage
2. Have exterior walls constructed of a minimum 16-gauge steel
3. Have a high-strength locking system consisting of a mechanical or electronic combination or biometric
lock, not a key lock
4. Be kept inside the license holder’s residential room out of view from the public unless transporting the
safe and firearm to or from his or her vehicle
5. The license holder may not provide access to his or her safe to any other individual