Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how the presence of concealed handguns on public higherEducation campuses impacts students' perceptions and behaviors. A survey instrument was used to explore students' perceptions of safety and behaviors as they relate to the presence of concealed guns on campus. Purposive and convenience sampling was used to select student participants. For this study, a total of 2,060 surveys were completed and used for analysis from students at a large public university in an urban, Midwestern setting. A review of prior literature found that the current study represents the largest study conducted at a singular campus examining students' attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of safety regarding concealed handguns on campus. A large majority of students in this study (85%, n = 1,759) reported feeling safe or very safe on campus. Additionally, a majority of respondents in this study (72%) indicated that they were not likely to carry a concealed handgun on campus even if it was permitted. Men in the study were much more likely to carry a concealed handgun on campus (38%) as compared to women (21%). Overall, a majority of students (65%) indicated that they would feel unsafe if students were permitted to carry concealed handguns on campus. Women students were more likely to feel less safe if students were permitted to carry concealed handguns on campus. Students felt the least safe if visitors were permitted to carry concealed handguns on campus with a combined 82% (women, 88%; men, 73%; other, 92%) indicating they would feel unsafe. However, in contrast to students feeling unsafe if students or visitors were permitted to carry concealed handguns on campus, 59% of the students in this study indicated they would feel safe if faculty or staff carried concealed handguns on campus. Students were twice as likely to feel very safe if faculty and staff were permitted to carry concealed handguns as compared to feeling very safe if students carried and were four times as likely to feel very safe as compared to feeling very safe if visitors carried concealed handguns on campus. Overall, 2% of the students in this study admitted to having carried a concealed handgun on campus and 28% indicated that they would likely or very likely carry a concealed handgun on campus if permitted. Furthermore, the current study found that 11% of the students reportedly carried a concealed handgun on their person off campus as compared to 4% in the study by Thompson et al. (2013). Violence on college campuses, regardless of the presence of a concealed handgun, is a concern to all those who are connected to the higherEducation community. The present study contributes to the existing literature by providing a view of what students perceive in regard to safety as it specifically relates to the presence of concealed handguns on campus.

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