A new spin on the subject of handguns on Texas college campuses has made its way from the House to the Senate in the form of a bill.

Having been submitted into the House before, the life of the bill did not seem promising, until a new version was passed. This bill lifts the ban of weapons on college campuses, however, it allows individual universities to permit certified concealed handgun carriers to carry on the premises. As of Tuesday, the bill is in derogation of the full Senate.

In the Senate, Republicans hold a 19-12 majority to Democrats.

Already, Texas has more 500,000 concealed handgun carriers, and permitting them to carry on college campuses may or may not aid to ending violence in schools.

The requirements to getting a carrying license are that applicants must be 21 years of age, complete a handgun course for the average price of $70 and pass a test at the end of the course. There are also restrictions on gun type and size. While most public places allow people to carry, there are some places that do not permit it, and will place signs saying as such.

The bill would also require public universities to renew their gun policies every year, inquire the impact from the public, and give private universities the choice.

The Senate’s session ends on May 27.

If the bill passes and becomes a law, high school seniors can start doing their research to becoming a safe carrier and college students 21 and up may begin signing up for the next Concealed Handgun License (CHL) class.

“When it was first passed, we didn’t want to see it go wrong,” said Scott Lewis, the legislative director for Students Concealed Carry on Campus.

He noted that weapons were initially banned in churches, hospitals, amusement parks and other places that have since been stricken from the list.