College Students Perceptions Toward Carrying Concealed Weapons on College Campuses

Abstract

This study uses a survey of undergraduate college students at two schools in the eastern United States to investigate their attitudes toward carrying concealed weapons on campus. We found that politically conservative white men who own guns are more likely to be in favor of qualified students and faculty carrying concealed weapons on campus than politically liberal non-whites and women who do not own guns. Neither academic major nor age had a significant effect on any of our dependent variables.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Dominic DelliCarpini, Dean of Community Engagement at York College of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Mary Ligon, Chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department at York College of Pennsylvania, for their assistance with this project. The authors would also like to thank the reviewers for their helpful and constructive feedback.

Notes

¹ The rest were classified as “gun fired but no one injured” (n = 18), “gun fired unintentionally resulting in injury or death” (n = 9), and “attempted or completed suicide with no intent to injure another person” (n = 5).

² Two states only allow faculty members to carry concealed weapons on campus.