Collective Security, Fear of Crime, and Support for Concealed Firearms on a University Campus in the Western United States (original) (raw)
Related papers
Social Status and the Effects of Legal Concealed Firearms on College Campuses
Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 2018
Research consistently shows that students and faculty are generally against expanding access to firearms on campus, and many stakeholders worry about the effects of campus carry laws on student violence, civility, and feelings of safety. We contribute to this literature by investigating how potential changes to campus carry policies affect students' reported commitment to campus activities. Theories explaining fear of crime and social commitment led to hypotheses that predict members of socially disadvantaged groups-specifically women and minority students-would report less favorable attitudes toward gun possession on campus, greater feelings of vulnerability to victimization, and less commitment to the college environment when students or staff may possess guns. Hypotheses received support, and add to the growing literature documenting potential issues that legislators, administrators, and faculty might consider when debating the enactment of campus carry policies.
Carrying Concealed Weapons on Campus: Community College Students Perceptions of Safety
2020
Instances of violence on college campuses remain ever present prompting college administrators, law enforcement, and legislators to consider the increased emphasis on efforts surrounding safety and emergency preparedness at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Schildkraut, Carr, and Terranova (2018) expressed that feeling unsafe on campus may drive individuals to consider carrying of a weapon for protective reasons. Though the decision about whether a state and by extension, a particular college or university, permits concealed carry on campus ultimately falls to the legislature, it is prudent to consider the perceptions of students as they are the largest group of stakeholders potentially impacted (Schildkraut et al., 2018). This quantitative study examined the effect of carrying guns on campus and students' perceptions of safety. The participants were students recruited from two community colleges, one from a state allowing gun carry on campus, and one from a state not allowing carry on campus. The research used a previously validated survey instrument modified slightly to meet the sample population. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were utilized to analyze data. The findings of this research have implications for college administrators, legislators, students, and faculty regarding policy initiatives and campus safety. This research study indicated that there was a significant difference with regard to perceptions of community college students from a school in which concealed carry is permitted and one in which it is not, with those from the non-carry school indicating a higher perception of safety on campus.
Board 91: Conceal Carry of Handguns and Students’ Risk Perception at a University Setting
2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
With the growing number of states that have enacted legislation permitting the concealed carrying of handguns on university campuses, there has been an ongoing and robust debate surrounding the new laws, particularly among students, faculty, campus police, and administrators in universities around the country. Since the enactment of Arkansas Act 562, permitting the concealed carrying of handguns on university campuses, little research has been conducted to investigate students' perceptions of risk associated with the new law. Therefore, the purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to investigate whether engineering students' perceptions of risk of an active shooter event occurring on campus and their stated intention to obtain a concealed-carry license differ from other students on campus, and (2) to determine what factors predict students' stated intention to obtain a concealed-carry license. The investigator employed a survey of undergraduate engineering and education students (N = 89) in a four-year public university in Arkansas. The result of this study found that engineering students' desire to obtain a license was not different from other students on campus, despite differences such as political affiliation and gender. Further, engineering students' perception of risk of an active shooter event occurring on campus was less than other students. Finally, there were two significant predictors that contributed to both engineering and education students' desire to obtain a concealed carry license: (1) students' perceived need to defend themselves and others; and (2) students' perception of crime generally. These results suggest that culture influences students' attitudes and associated perceptions of risk about the concealed carrying of handguns on campus and gun laws generally. A literature review, theoretical framework, and scientific implications are also discussed.
Gun attitudes on campus: United and divided by safety needs
The Journal of Social Psychology, 2018
All people share a need for safety. Yet, people's pursuit of safety can conflict when it comes to guns, where some people perceive guns as a means to safety and others perceive guns as a threat to safety. We examined this conflict on a United States college campus that prohibits guns. We distinguished between people (N = 11,390) who (a) own a gun for protection, (b) own a gun exclusively for reasons other than protection (e.g., collecting, sports), and (c) do not own a gun. Protection owners felt less safe on campus, supported allowing guns on campus, and reported that they and others would feel safer and that gun violence would decrease if they carried a gun on campus. Non-owners and non-protection owners felt the reverse. The findings suggest that protection concerns, rather than gun-ownership per se, account for diverging perceptions and attitudes about guns and gun control.
Student Perceptions of Faculty, Staff, and Students Carrying Concealed Weapons on Campus
2018
Reactions to gun violence and potential policies regarding gun control are often reactions to fear with schools being the focal point of gun control dialogue. From elementary schools to college campuses, the concealed carry debate exists. Should we allow staff, faculty, and at the college-level, students to carry concealed guns? Students at a private college in Florida were surveyed in regards to their attitudes towards concealed carry and campus safety. We tested a number of hypotheses related to how much time students spend being exposed to media, student perceptions of safety, and their attitudes toward concealed weapons on campus. Results show low levels of support for armed campus safety and concealed weapons for faculty among our student sample. Students were even less comfortable with other students being armed on campus. In support of previous research, conservative students were more likely to believe the media spends too much time covering gun violence. While our results s...
Concealed Carry University: Student Attitudes about Firearms on Campus
In the wake of firearm violence on university campuses in the United States including mass shootings, some pro-gun advocates have argued about the benefits of allowing students with concealed firearm permits to carry firearms on campus for both self defense and deterrence. However, this policy is allowed on few campuses. Nearly all states allow concealed carry permits for citizens but some have chosen to declare the universities as "gun-free zones". To further examine this issue from the student perspective, this study, relying on a survey of college students at a midsize Midwestern university examined their views on this issue. Students were asked about their favorability of allowing concealed carry permit holders to carry firearm on campus to enhance safety. The results indicate significant differences of opinion based on specific characteristics of the students and a general opposition to the policy. Implication of the research and suggestions for future research are also included in the article.
College and University Faculty Perceptions Towards Carrying Concealed Firearms on Campus
International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 2017
This study uses a survey of university and college faculty members at two schools in the eastern United States to investigate their attitudes towards qualified faculty members and students carrying concealed firearms on their campuses. We found that faculty members who own a gun and are politically conservative were in favor concealed carry for qualified students and faculty, while liberal faculty member who are not gun owners were not.
Interpersonal consequences of legal handgun carrying on college campuses
Journal of American College Health, 2018
Objective: This study assessed whether college students felt less safe or were less likely to work with another student when they thought the person they would work with was carrying a handgun than when they did not. Participants: Seventy participants were recruited from a public US university where campus carry was legal. Methods: Participants were led to believe a confederate was carrying a handgun or not. Participants' perceived safety and willingness to work with others was assessed. Results: No difference was found in participants' perceived safety. Participants who believed another student was carrying a concealed handgun reported they would be less likely to perform certain tasks with the handgun carrier than they would with the non-carrier. Conclusions: People do not feel less safe around a handgun-carrying confederate and that allowing concealed handguns on campus might affect handgun carriers' interpersonal interactions with others in suboptimal ways.
2019
The number of mass shootings and active shooter situations has significantly increased at higher education institutions (HEIs) over the past several years, and as a result, they have introduced issues of safety that administrators must handle. The purpose of this embedded, single case study was to understand the attitudes concerning concealed carry on campus for students, staff, and faculty at Liberty University. The primary theory guiding this study was vested interest theory (Crano, 1997) as it examines the attitudes of those most closely involved with a situation and how they become vested in a particular situation which results in behavior changes, and the secondary theory is Maslow's (1970) hierarchy of needs, as it argues that in order for individuals to achieve their potential, they must first have their safety needs met. Data collection entailed a survey sent to all students, staff, and faculty followed by interviews with select participants. Data analysis included the coding of the data to examine themes across the embedded units and provide descriptions of the attitudes and perceptions of faculty, staff, and students across the university. The research questions guiding this study were: (1) How do students, staff, and faculty feel about concealed carry on campus? (2) What factors influence the attitudes of faculty, staff, and students towards concealed carry on campus? (3) What affects does a concealed carry policy have on student, staff, and faculty perceptions of safety? (4) What impact does the university's culture have on student, staff, and faculty attitudes towards concealed carry? (5) How do the students, staff, and faculty perceive the exposure given them concerning concealed carry on campus? Three overarching themes were identified: education and training, cognitive and emotional maturity, and mental health.