A Tri-state Investigation of Firearms Confiscation on Three Regional University Campuses

Abstract

While the use of firearms is pronounced throughout the US, there are few studies that address the availability of firearms on university campuses in states that are adjacent to each other. This study uses a five-year longitudinal design to investigate three universities that were randomly selected in the neighboring states of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina to examine the extent of firearm confiscation by public safety officers. In the final analysis, we conclude that unless viable strategies that target preventing firearms used in domestic violence, alleviating access to guns, and addressing mental health illnesses among college students are created to effectively confiscate firearms on university campuses, deadly violence could become an inevitable occurrence.