Not a “Nonissue”: Perceptions and Realities of Campus Carry at The University of Texas at Austin (original) (raw)

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.

Hiding the unwanted: A University-level campus carry policy

Higher Education

Campus carry laws have allowed civilians to legally bring their concealed firearms onto college and university campuses in several states in the U.S. over the past decade. Previous studies have addressed the policy’s legal grounds, arguments for and against it, impacts on campus safety, and faculty and students’ attitudes toward it. This paper examines the less addressed topic of policy implementation, especially the role of universities in modifying the outcomes, including what kinds of rules the higher educational institutions themselves have designed and what these approaches mean. The article focuses on Texas, where public higher educational institutions were required to allow campus carry but also given some discretion in implementation. The article provides a qualitative content analysis of policy documents and expert interviews regarding the campus carry policy at The University of Texas at Austin. It argues that the university fully accomplishes the law, but through its poli...

Forum: Perceiving Security and Insecurity: The Campus Carry Law in Texas

Journal of American Studies, 2020

This introduction lays out the research design of a project on the Texas state “Campus Carry” gun legislation (SB 11) that went into effect in 2016. The project's transdisciplinary and multi-methodological approach – based on team fieldwork, personal interviews, focus groups, testimonials, visual materials, and a survey – is used to offer an example of phenomenon-based American studies research that is contextualized beyond disciplinary boundaries. Public debates, personal experiences, and cultural analysis demonstrate the de facto ramifications of gun legislation on people's lives. Considering viewpoints both for and against Campus Carry, the discussion reveals deep-seated beliefs about guns as an intrinsic part of “Americanness.”

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.

The anticipated consequences of legalizing guns on college campuses

Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, 2018

Objective: We examined whether gun-ownership, and more importantly, the reason for owning a gun, is linked to expectations about what will happen if legislation allows guns on one's college campus. Methods: We sent a web-based survey to students, faculty, and staff at a single southeastern United States university in March 2016. We queried respondents about gun ownership and the potential effects of campus carry laws on personal safety and the educational environment. We grouped respondents (N = 11,390) into gun owners who own guns for protection (protection owners), gun owners who own guns for non-protection reasons (e.g., sport, collecting; non-protection owners), and non-owners. Results: Non-protection owners and nonowners responded similarly and were generally distinct from protection owners. However, all three groups reported that legalizing guns on campus would harm the academic atmosphere and diminish feelings of safety when having heated exchanges or evaluating student outcomes. Ironically, protection owners acknowledge these harms yet support legislation allowing guns on campus. Conclusions: Regardless of group, our participants anticipated that allowing guns on campus would largely produce undesirable downstream academic consequences. Lawmakers must find ways to mitigate the possible harmful effects on personal safety and the academic environment, and find solutions that satisfy the safety needs of groups who see guns as source versus a threat to safety.

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...

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.

Fear in the Classroom: Campus Carry at The University of Texas at Austin

Texas Education Review, 2021

This article examines the significance of fear of concealed handguns in the classroom at a public university in Texas, analyzing perceived changes in shared social space and the collective learning environment in terms of affect. This multimethod study provides a framework for understanding the factors behind the fear, which may be seen as personal, societal, or a dynamic combination of those manifested in local relationships. Furthermore, it explores disruptions of instruction and discussion, the profiling of other students as potential gun carriers, and the introduction of situational awareness in class. Based on ethnography conducted at The University of Texas at Austin, where campus carry was implemented in 2016, this article provides a context for those in the discipline of education, as well as instructors and administrators at other institutions of higher learning in the United States, to consider the complex nature of fear of guns and its impact on the classroom atmosphere.