Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
College of Applied Human Sciences
Department
Education
Committee Chair
Erin McHenry-Sorber
Committee Co-Chair
Jake Follmer
Committee Member
Rodney Hughes
Committee Member
John Campbell
Committee Member
Jay Cole
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the potential impact of state-mandated campus carry laws on sexual misconduct and other violent crime statistics at public, four-year institutions. The study focuses on the state-mandated campus carry law put into effect in Texas starting in 2016 to analyze whether or not it had an impact on campus crime rates. Findings of the study showed that reported campus crime increased at Texas institutions post-2016 at a larger rate than the states that explicitly ban campus carry. Due to a lack of data on the number of individuals carrying guns on campuses in Texas, this study was not able to determine whether the increased reporting of campus crime was a result of the policy being put into effect amidst other policy shifts happening post-2016 or if it is the direct result of more guns on campus increasing reporting of campus crimes.
Recommended Citation
Gibson, Ryan Matthew, "A Difference-in-Differences Investigation of the Impact of State-Mandated Campus Carry Laws in Texas on Violent Campus Crime Rates" (2025). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 13126.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/13126