In fall 2015, the Executive Council endorsed the MLA’s joining with twenty-eight other scholarly societies to oppose legislation that would facilitate carrying handguns on college campuses. It also issued its own statement on Texas’s campus carry law.

Statement Condemning Texas SB11 (“Campus Carry Law”)

The Modern Language Association joins other scholarly organizations in condemning Texas SB11, which allows licensed handgun carriers to bring concealed handguns into buildings on Texas campuses. Not only have such laws been proven to actually increase the likelihood of violence in general, but we as educators are also deeply concerned that the presence of handguns on college campuses may severely and negatively impact freedom of speech and academic freedom, creating a climate of intimidation and causing undue caution, particularly with regard to discussions of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, politics, and sexuality.

Our clear preference would be for the repeal of this law. Until such time, we urge university and college administrators, faculty members, and students—in the strongest terms possible—to put into place all necessary protections for speech, assembly, and everyday educational activities.

Joint Statement on Campus Carry Legislation

The undersigned learned societies are deeply concerned about the impact of Texas’s new campus carry law on freedom of expression in Texas universities. The law, which was passed earlier this year and takes effect in 2016, allows licensed handgun carriers to bring concealed handguns into buildings on Texas campuses. Our societies are concerned that the campus carry law and similar laws in other states introduce serious safety threats on college campuses with a resulting harmful effect on students and professors.

American Academy of Religion
American Anthropological Association
American Antiquarian Society
American Association for the History of Medicine
American Folklore Society
American Historical Association
American Musicological Society
American Philosophical Association
American Political Science Association
American Society for Aesthetics
American Society for Environmental History
American Sociological Association
American Studies Association
Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Association of American Geographers
College Art Association
Latin American Studies Association
Law and Society Association
Medieval Academy of America
Middle East Studies Association
Modern Language Association
National Communication Association
National Council on Public History
Oral History Association
Society for American Music
Society for Ethnomusicology
Society of Architectural Historians
Society of Biblical Literature
World History Association