Nacogdoches- A couple of weeks ago, thousands of college students buckled-on pistol holsters and went to class, but the holsters were empty.

It's part of a nation-wide protest with the message: so called "gun-free zones" continue to put fellow students at peril.

Bob Brackeen visited two east Texas universities, just one year after the killings at Virginia Tech. He talked with students and administrators on the pros and cons of packin' a pistol on campus.

For LeTourneau University's some four thousand students, campus shootings in places like Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Louisiana...seem a world away.

"It sparks a lot of questions. it sparks from: why are you wearing it? and that pretty much leads to; okay so what are the arguments? ya know," quotes Jared Szaroleta.

But to students like: Jared, campus carnage only inspires a growing number of collegians to make more universities open to the idea of licensed concealed carry.

His empty holster draws interest perhaps questions...then, maybe converts to the growing ranks of a national organization: "Students for Concealed Carry."

Jared's holster may be empty, but since so many campuses have been turned into killing zones; he says many fellow students are adopting the Texas addage: they'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

Meaning they'd rather look at a jury of their peers than down the barrel of a gun.

"There's actually kids that carry because they don't care. After Virginia Tech and NIU, they don't care. I mean they'd rather be alive and have to face whatever court they would see and have been able to do somethin' about it than not," states Szaroleta.

"Appalachian state, Northern Illinois University, Virginia Tech: all of them within the last year or so experienced the terror of a deranged gunman. all of them: gun free zones."

Nightmarish technicolor killing zones like this one earlier this year in Baton Rouge, on the evening news: a killer loose on campus and nowhere to hide and left with nothing for protection.

"shooters: load five rounds..."

Students for concealed carry boast some twenty-nine thousand members now...and say numbers continue to grow with people like: lauren noble.

"In today's world, it's sad to say but you need a gun for self-protection...even in school," states Lauren.

Le Tourneau University's Vice President of Student Affairs Doug Wilcoxson believes, "the reality; that we aren't guaranteed safety,"

"Ya know, I understand some of those who are asking for the ability to do that. but, there also a tremendous amount of risk," says Wilcoxson.

He says if the state does pass legislation allowing licensed concealed carry on state campuses his private university would perhaps look at the new legislation.

Down the road in Nacogdoches, thousands more students walk this very open campus at Stephen F. Austin University. Many of them with places like Virginia Tech still in the back of their minds.

"People are scared, honestly, because this is a big campus, there are so many ins and outs on the campus,"quotes James Jenkins.

Jenkins: a member of Students for Concealed Carry On Campus says momentum's building among compassionate collegians who jenkins reminds us: vote.

James says, "there's great support within the student body that I've talked to, a whole lot of people, the basic sentiment is: well, if they're gonna have a gun, i should too."

Currently Utah is the only state allowing concealed carry on campus, but eight states have legislation pending.

According to Jenkins, sponsored legislation in Texas already has been shot down, but he's optimistic.

"Hopefully in the next five to ten years we might get this thing passed to where students can actually carry firearms," says Jenkins.