Cowboys in College
According to reports from the Congressional Research Service there are more than 300 million guns in America as of 2012, and gun production continues to increase (Krouse 8). Despite this, guns appear in less than one in three households in America, as reported by Smith and Son (3). This means that while fewer families may have guns in America, those individuals who own them, own more than they ever have (Smith & Son 4). In the state of Texas, gun ownership is a relatively close reflection of the country’s statistics at large (Levin n.p.). Despite the increase in production of weapons, the number of deaths involving a gun has decreased nationwide (Krouse 9) including homicides, self-defense and deaths of juveniles.
Rules regarding guns on college campuses vary by state. With each state having their own requirements for what citizens can be permitted to carry weapons, 18 of those prohibit the possession of a concealed weapon on a campus (NCSL n.p.). NCSL reported that in 23 other states, however, it is left to each campus to determine their own policies about firearms on campus. Despite this, as of October, there were 23 shootings on college campuses in 2015 (Sanburn n.p.). It is clear that those who are willing to harm other people, whether by means of a gun or otherwise, are certainly willing to violate rules about having guns on campus. Rules are in place only for those people who are willing to follow them. That being said, would college campuses be safer if law-abiding citizens were allowed to carry weapons on campus: students, professors, or staff. Would any of the thirty lives lost on campus in 2015 been saved if they or their peers had permission to carry weapons (Sanburn n.p.)? Even Congressional reports noted that increased gun ownership occurred at the same time that gun deaths decreased (Krouse 9). And according to the NCSL (n.p.) recent state-level legislation and court rulings have resulted in eight states having created specific guidelines which allow students on state college campuses to carry a concealed weapon under the guidelines already in place for each respective state’s conceal carry laws. Utah has a statute which specifically disallows state campuses from creating rules which would prevent students from carrying weapons.
A growing body of work exists exploring the pros and cons of guns on campus. Proponents for more liberal gun laws overall argue that when law-abiding citizens are allowed to carry a concealed weapon, there is greater risk to criminals and less likelihood of crime. However, according to Krouse (4), while there is an inverse relationship overall there is no evidence of a cause and effect relationship between the two. Increasingly, research does not support weapons on campus as a viable or reasoned response to campus violence (Miller, Hemenway and Wechsler 61). According to several research studies led by Dr. Matthew Miller, there is concern among faculty and students alike regarding increased presence of weapons on campus.
A majority of both students and faculty are uncomfortable with guns being on campus. Bennett, Kraft and Grubb found that “a substantial majority of faculty opposes such legislation” (348) that would expand the ability for students of faculty to carry a concealed weapon on campus. Similarly, students report they would not feel safer with the expanding of concealed carry legislation, not more protected (Thompson et al. 250).
Works Cited
Bennett, Katherine, John Kraft and Deborah Grubb. “University Faculty Attitudes Towards Guns on Campus.” Journal of Criminal Justice Education, Vol. 23, Issue 3, 2012, pp. 336-355.
Krouse, William J. “Gun Control Legislation.” Congressional Research Service. November 14, 2012, 1-118.
Levin, Matt. “Despite All the Rhetoric, Texas Gun Ownership Rates Just Above National Average.” Chron [online article]. Retrieved from http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Despite-all-the-rhetoric-Texas-gun-ownership-6358188.php#photo-6552303
Miller, Matthew, David Hemenway and Henry Wechsler. “Guns at College.” Journal of American College Health, Vol. 48, Issue 1, 1998, pp. 7-12.
Miller, Matthew, David Hemenway and Henry Wechsler. “Guns and Gun Threats at College.” Journal of American College Healthy, Vol. 51, Issue 2, 2002, pp. 57-65.
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). “Guns on Campus: Overview.” Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/guns-on-campus-overview.aspx
Sanburn, Josh. “These Are All the College Campus Shootings in 2015.” Time Magazine [online edition]. October 1, 2015. Retrieved from http://time.com/4058669/northern-arizona-university-school-shootings-2015/
Smith, Tom and Jaesok Son. “Trends in Gun Ownership in the United States, 1972-2014.” General Social Survey Final Report. March, 2015, 1-9.
Thompson, Amy, James Price, Joseph Dake, Karen Teeple, Sara Bassler, Jagdish Khubchandani, et al. “Student Perceptions and Practices Regarding Carrying Concealed Handguns and University Campuses.” Journal of American College Health, Vol. 61, Issue 5, 2013, pp. 243-253.
