Here are some facts and figures about guns on college campuses in the United States.
1. Nine states allow gun possession on college campuses. In 2004, Utah was the first state to enact a law allowing guns to be carried on campus. The other states allowing guns are: Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Texas and Wisconsin. Court rulings allow guns on campus in Colorado and Oregon.
2. There are 21 states that ban carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming.
3. Eight states with bans also have exceptions allowing guns to be stored in locked vehicles on campus: Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.
4. In 23 states the decision to ban or allow concealed carry weapons on campuses is made by each college or university individually: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is a not for profit corporation formed in 2013 to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States. Here are some numbers from the organization.
1. There have been 21,540 shooting incidents of gun violence in the U.S. in 2016.
2. There have been 121 mass shootings in the United States so far in 2016.
3. On Wednesday, there were three other shooting incidents as of 2 p.m. ET, one in Dayton, Ohio, one in Bakersfield, Calif., and one in Carlisle, Pa.
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures; GVA; NASPA
About the Author
