Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
College of Applied Human Sciences
Department
Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling & Counseling Psychology
Committee Chair
Christine Schimmel
Committee Member
Lisa Platt
Committee Member
Yaping Anderson
Committee Member
Monica Leppma
Abstract
Previous literature suggests that students who feel unsafe in their academic settings experience harmful academic, social, and psychological ramifications. With an alarming increase in school shootings, violence, and media coverage, the political discourse surrounding gun violence and strategies to ensure safety on college campuses has become increasingly polarized. States like Texas, Georgia, and Colorado have passed bills allowing students to carry concealed handguns on university campuses. At the time of this study, the state legislature in West Virginia passed a similar bill known as the Campus Self-Defense Act (Senate Bill 246, 2021). College students who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) face unique stressors compared to their White student peers when it comes to perceptions of safety on campus. At primarily White institutions (PWIs), students identifying as BIPOC have reported feeling less safe, likely contributing to higher attrition rates and other barriers to success (Gummadam et al., 2015). This study aimed to address a gap in the literature by investigating perceptions of safety regarding concealed carry gun policies among undergraduate students identifying as BIPOC. In the present study, 226 undergraduate students (Mage = 19.6, 85.4% women-identifying, 11.9% BIPOC) reported their gun beliefs and behaviors, fear of on-campus crime victimization, and attitudes toward campus carry. Controlling for gender identity, sexual identity, age, in-state residence, and years of undergraduate education, participants identifying as BIPOC reported feeling significantly less safe with campus carry gun policies, compared to their White counterparts. Future research directions and clinical implications are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Mascaro, Whitney H., "Examining the Relationship of Race on Students’ Perceptions of Safety and Concealed Campus Carry on a University Campus" (2023). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 12146.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12146