KRGV.com

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Texas lawmakers are renewing the debate on allowing concealed handguns into college classrooms.

The House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety is hearing testimony on several bills allowing concealed handgun license holders to carry their guns into campus buildings where they are currently banned. About 50 people are signed up to testify.

A similar measure erupted into one of the most contentious bills of the 2011 session before it failed.

College administrators have generally not supported the effort in the past. They worry guns will spark more campus violence and suicide.

Supporters call it a gun rights issue and a self-defense measure that could prevent mass shootings.