Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on the campuses of and certain other locations associated with institutions of higher education.

SB 354 would allow licensed handgun carriers to carry concealed handguns on most areas of Texas college campuses, unless the campus community votes to prohibit it. To ban concealed carry, a college must first get a majority vote from its student government to propose a ban, then hold a campus-wide referendum where a majority of students, staff, and faculty must approve the ban. The college president must establish reasonable rules about where concealed carry is permitted (but cannot generally prohibit it) and must hold referendums within 60 days of student government proposals. This bill shifts the default rule to permit concealed carry on campuses while creating a specific process for institutions to restrict it through student and staff votes.