Research Log: Impact of Open Gun Laws on Universities

This research log explores the multifaceted issue of open gun laws in academic institutions, examining the arguments for and against such policies. The log synthesizes findings from multiple sources, including studies on student and faculty opinions, legal and religious perspectives, and the potential impact on campus safety and security. It delves into the key concepts of open gun policy, concealed carry, and the implications for educational environments. The research draws on diverse databases and sources, such as university libraries and online publications, to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Key findings include differing viewpoints on gun violence based on gender, race, and political affiliation, the concerns of police officials regarding misuse, and the potential effects on student safety and campus climate. The log highlights the ongoing debate surrounding gun control and gun rights within the context of academic settings, considering the legal and ethical implications of open carry policies. Furthermore, it examines the role of religion in shaping attitudes towards gun control and violence, as well as the impact on class interaction and self-confidence. Ultimately, the research log aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the complex issue of open gun laws in academic institutions, drawing upon diverse perspectives to inform a balanced conclusion.

Running head: RESEARCH LOG
Research Log
Student’s Name
University
Author’s Note

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RESEARCH LOG
Research Log
Research Topic
Open Gun law in Academic Institutions
Rationale of the Research
Implementation of Open Gun policy in the USA that would allow students and other
academic staff to carry fire arms in the campus. This leads to create a faction in the society, one
group supporting the policy, the other opposing it. Therefore, it leaves scope to evaluate the
merits of the arguments presented by both sides.
Key Concepts
Open Gun Policy, Guns, Concealed Carrying, Educational Institutes, Students, Teachers,
Violence, Security, Safe Space, Religion, Gender, Misuse of Weapons, Power Disparity,
Community Colleges, 4-year Course College.
Database Searched
 University Library
 Online library
 Open online sources

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Citations and Sources
Source 1: Lewis, Rhonda K., et al. "College students’ opinions on gun violence."
Journal of community health 41.3 (2016): 482-487.
The article gathers and summarizes the opinions of 419 college students of a Midwestern
University on the issues of purchasing weapons, carrying assault weapons to university and their
perceived contribution to gun violence. The study presents a primary quantitative database,
involving a diverse population that helps to extract a definite statistics without a bias. It
categorizes the population on the basis of gender, race and ethnicity, marital status and political
affiliation.
Key Findings:
 The authors maintain that gun violence has become a significant health issue in the USA
 Overall 54% of the respondents supported the endeavor to ban assault weapons
 53% respondents expressed their support on the issue of teachers carrying concealed
weapon
 Male and female participants’ views differed on the issue of addressing gun violence
 Top concerns that lead to gun violence are identified as gang involvement (14%),
bullying (13.8%), ease of access (13.8%) and decline in parenting and family values
(17%)
Source 2: Bartula, Aaron, and Kendra Bowen. "University and college officials’
perceptions of open carry on college campus." Justice Policy Journal 12.2 (2015): 1-
17.

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The study presents an account of the opinions of Texas University and College Police
officials on the perceived effects of open carry on campus crime, campus security and
victimization among student, faculty and staff.
Findings:
 The perceived amount of crime and firearm related incidents will remain unchanged
 Fear of victimization among students and staff may increase
 The Police officials strongly oppose the proposal and implementation of any potential
open carry bill in college campus (91.5%) due to the concern of misuse and accidental
discharge of assault weapon.
Source 3: Miller, Matthew, David Hemenway, and Henry Wechsler. "Guns and gun
threats at college." Journal of American College Health 51.2 (2002): 57-65.
The study presents an account of the opinion of more than 10,000 undergraduate students
from 119 4-years colleges on gun possession and gun threats. The research shows opinions of
both the amount of students possessing firearm and the victims of armed threat.
Findings:
 4.3% students possess fire arms
 1.6% students are threatened at gunpoint
 Male students are more likely to be threatened
 The aggressive behaviour to threaten are aided by binge drinking, engaging in risky
activities after drinking and residing in areas with a higher rate of possessing household
fire arms.

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Source 4: Schildkraut, Jaclyn, Collin M. Carr, and Victoria Terranova. "Armed
and academic: Perceptions of college students on concealed carry on campus
policies." Journal of school violence 17.4 (2018): 487-499.
This study presents a discourse on students’ opinion on the newly enacted concealed
carry policy in Texas. The rationale of the research scopes on the heightened fear among student
and academic professionals subsequent to the Virginia Tech shooting case. The study presents a
detailed literature survey that would help examine the theoretical framework and empirical
evidences that would fortify the findings.
Findings:
 The conflict between gun control and gun rights are clearly a dichotomous issue
 The overall inclination among students regarding concealed carry strictly opposes the bill
 Among the diverse population of the study, male students, Republicans and gun owners
are likely to support the issue
Source 5: Rostron, Allen, and Brian Siebel. "No Gun Left Behind-The Gun Lobby's
Campaign to Push Guns into Colleges and Schools." Brady Center to Prevent Gun
Violence (2007).
The anthology presents a detailed case study of the gun carrying lobby’s efforts to
legalize gun carrying and its perceived as well as latent impact on the academic environment.
The book scrutinizes the backgrounds of school shootings and increased violence. Further, it
tries to dissuade the idea of open carry to secure public and student relation, academic freedom
and protection of safe space in schools.

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Source 6: Arnold, Cameron W. "Standing in the Line of Fire: Compulsory Campus
Carry Laws and Hostile Speech Environments." Seton Hall L. Rev. 49 (2018): 807.
The book presents a detailed literature review on the legal aspects and cases pertaining to
the issue of campus carry, providing several insights on the negative impact on class interaction,
open participation, decreased self-confidence. It examines several legislations related to
compulsory campus carry, applying the Hostile Speech Environment framework to seek an
alternative way to oppose the policy.
Source 7: Dahl, Patricia P., Gene Bonham, Jr, and Frances P. Reddington.
"Community college faculty: Attitudes toward guns on campus." Community
College Journal of Research and Practice 40.8 (2016): 706-717.
In this exploratory research, the authors present a comprehensive account of students and
faculty members’ opinion on the concealed carry gun policy. Surveying over 1889 community
colleges from 18 states, the study points out a general consensus among teachers that indicate
their opposition towards open campus carry, stating that it would increase sense of threat instead
of security.
Source 8: Merino, Stephen. "God and guns: examining religious influences on gun
control attitudes in the United States." Religions 9.6 (2018): 189.
This study examines the role of religion in the incidents of mass shooting and general
inclination towards gun carrying based on religious perspectives. It also presents remedial
measures to mass shooting based upon religious understanding. It points out that the notions of
personal responsibility and anti-structuralism inherent evangelical protestant view addressing the
aggression and violence. Their opposition of state intervention in people’s lives can also be

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attributed by these understandings. However, the study admits the relationship between religion
and gun control and gun possession is complex.
Source 9: Kerley, Kent R. "Religion and Crime: Theory, Research, and Practice."
(2018).
This is another literature that discusses the role of religion in assessing and addressing the
issue of gun violence. It is a detailed anthology that explores various discourses of crime,
violence, justice and their relation with religion.
Remarks
The literature gathered here deals with various aspects of open gun carrying in academic
institutions. It explores the opinions of students, teachers, campus security personnel and other
academic staff on both open carry and concealed carry. It addresses the issues of security and
perceived threats as felt by students. Also, the literature analyzes legal and religious discourses to
curb the perceived increase of gun violence. Therefore, the proposed research will incorporate all
this aspects to reach a viable conclusion on the issue of open gun carrying in academic
institutions.