About 200 gathered Thursday near the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Sombrilla Plaza to voice concerns about the campus carry law slated to take effect next year.

Some at the rally said they want the Legislature to fully repeal Senate Bill 11, which was enacted this year and will allow concealed carry license holders to legally carry handguns on the campuses of Texas’ public universities.

The law allows administrators to designate gun-free zones and directs them to create a plan to implement it tailored to their campus “after consulting with students, staff and faculty of the institution.” At UTSA, a “task force” representing those groups has a Nov. 1 deadline to make recommendations on the plan.

In February, the UT System board of regents will review campus plans, and the law takes effect Aug. 1.

“Roll up your sleeves and get to work. Start a dialogue. If they’re not listening to you, let me know,” Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, told the crowd.

“We as a university want to send out the message collectively that we are not happy with this legislation and we want it to change — it has to go back,” said Ritu Mathur, an assistant professor in the political science and geography department.

“Why are you trying to basically bring these weapons into our classrooms?” she asked. “We don’t need them. I can’t teach with a gun. I can only teach when I use my words and papers.”

Others, like Walter Wilson, an associate professor of political science, conceded that the law is likely to remain and that students and faculty need to speak up to persuade administrators to use their discretion to keep guns out of classrooms, dorms, offices and labs.

“We want gun-free learning environments — that’s the majority (opinion), but it can’t be a silent majority,” Wilson said.

Most at the rally were concerned about the new law. A handful showed up to support the right to carry a concealed handgun.

“People have guns at H-E-B, people have guns at the supermarket, people have guns at the movie theater — everywhere, said Peter Carollo, a senior studying communications who said he has a concealed carry permit and disagrees with those who say allowing him and others to carry on campus would make the university less safe.

On Wednesday, task force members answered questions and heard comments from a crowded and at times heated forum on the issue.

“Violence only begets violence,” said Brittany Obinyan, a student who questioned whether the law would actually increase students’ safety, given the frequency of mass shootings at schools across the country.

Many questioned the enforceability of gun-free zones when the law requires weapons on campus to be concealed. Some expressed concern that allowing parts of the campus to be gun-free would turn such zones into a target area for potential assailants. Others cited statistics that show concealed carry permit holders commit few violent crimes.

“I do think people should have the right, if they go through the training and get the certification,” said Jackie Richter, a graduate student, who said she sees how people feel safer with the ability to carry a concealed gun.

Only those 21 or older are allowed to hold a concealed carry permit in Texas.

An online petition that asks UTSA President Ricardo Romo to keep classrooms, labs, offices and dorms gun free had more than 530 supporters as of Thursday afternoon.

The task force already was considering a list of locations as possible gun-free zones that was not as broad. It includes patient and child care facilities, intercollegiate athletic competitions, intramural sports events, student recreational facilities, labs, the library, certain offices and classrooms, and athlete locker rooms, said William Trynoski, a member of the task force and of student government.

UT administrators lobbied the Legislature against allowing concealed carry on campuses. In a January letter, William McRaven, the UT System’s chancellor, told lawmakers that it would make university campuses less safe.

He cited concerns about the mental health of under-pressure students, the ability to keep guns secure and whether campus police would be able to differentiate between a bad actor and a student with a handgun drawn in defense against one.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 23 states leave it up to colleges and universities to decide whether to ban concealed carry on campus, while it is banned outright in 19 states.