Guns at College

1. Students with guns at college are more likely to misuse alcohol

Using data from mailed surveys of over 10,000 undergraduates in 1997 and 2001, we examined the prevalence of gun ownership.  Approximately 3.5% of undergraduates reported having a working firearm at college.  Students with guns were more likely to be male, white, live in a fraternity, live off-campus, binge drink, drive after drinking, and be injured severely enough to require medical attention.  Students with guns at college are more likely to engage in alcohol-related behaviors that put themselves and others at risk of injury.

Miller, Matthew; Hemenway, David; Wechsler, Henry.  Armed and dangerous? Guns at college.  Journal of American College Health.  1999; 48:7-12.

 

2. At college, more guns = more gun threats

Using data from mailed surveys of over 10,000 undergraduates in 2001, we examined correlates of gun possession at college.  The 2001 survey confirmed the findings of the 1997 surveys, and also showed that guns on college campuses were more common in regions with higher levels of gun prevalence, and that gun threats to college students were also more common in these regions.

Miller, Matthew; Hemenway, David; Wechsler, Henry.  Guns and gun threats at college.  Journal of American College Health.  2002; 51:57-65.