Two students who used a pistol to stop an intruder from their college apartment are under fire at Gonzaga–are guns on campus unusual?
The majority of the 4,400 colleges and universities in the US prohibit the carrying of firearms on campus. According to Armed Campuses, these gun-free policies are effective (citing a Department of Justice study found that 93% of violent crimes that victimize college students occur off campus). Most states ban campus firearms statewide, but a minority (23) allow individual colleges or universities to decide if they’ll allow the carrying of firearms on their premises (e.g. campus grounds, classrooms, dormitories, athletic events, and parking lots). In Utah and Colorado, concealed guns are allowed by law, and individual schools can’t legislate otherwise.
The 43,000 college students, professors, college employees and parents of college students who make up the growing national (in 40 states) organization Students for Concealed Carry believe that “holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that current laws afford them virtually everywhere else.” Board members include Jason Silva, a senior at Brigham Young University who also works with at-risk youth. Silva is also an NRA certified instructor.
Map courtesy of Armed Campuses.org. Visit Armed Campuses for an interactive version.
