It has come to our attention that the well-established ban on firearm on OUS campuses is being challenged by firearms advocacy groups and members of the Oregon legislature. This is very unfortunate, since the firearm ban helps to make Oregon campuses much safer for students.
While those challenging the policy argue that allowing concealed weapons on campus would help protect students from those who would do them harm, the evidence strongly suggests otherwise. In fact, introducing firearms onto campus will likely contribute to greater risk of serious injury and death for Oregon students.
Gun advocates tell us that individuals with concealed weapons permits are upstanding, law abiding citizens. In fact, there is evidence that this is not always the case. While researching the issue recently, a Florida newspaper discovered that more than 1,400 individuals licensed to carry guns had pleaded guilty or no contest to committing felonies. While many gun owners are responsible and well-balanced, a recent study of students at 130 four-year colleges revealed a disturbing trend. Students who brought guns to college were more likely than their peers to “engage in activities that put themselves and others at risk for injury,” including starting the day with alcohol, driving after binge drinking, being arrested for DUI, being injured seriously enough to require medical attention — especially injuries occurring in fights or car crashes — and damaging property when intoxicated.
While increased risk of violence towards others is a concern, an even greater threat to campus safety is the unique role that firearms play in suicide. Although homicide gets far more media attention, in fact, suicides out-number homicides almost two to one, and firearm suicides outnumber firearm homicides. The rate of suicide among university and college students is approximately half that of their non-college peers. Experts agree that a primary reason for this discrepancy is the ban against firearms on campus. Guns are the most common method used in suicide. A consistent research finding is that the risk of suicide associated with firearms is especially high for adolescents and young adults. Moreover, in states with the highest rate of gun ownership, youth have twice the suicide rate of their peers who live in low ownership states — a result that is entirely accounted for by the increased rate of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the former.
Despite the apparent protective factor of being a college student, suicide continues to be a significant public health problem on college campuses. In fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students. Suicidal crises are most often time-limited, and youth suicide attempts typically are impulsive. In a recent national study, of those students who were seriously suicidal during the past year, more than half were suicidal for one day or less. Furthermore, alcohol often plays a role in suicide attempts, which highlights the impulsive nature of suicidal behavior. Campus policies that make it more difficult to complete suicide, particularly by restricting firearms, the most common lethal means, help assure that fewer distressed students will take their own lives in a moment of acute despair or distress.
We have no quarrel with responsible gun ownership. Yet, overturning long-standing university policies that effectively protect students’ safety would be misguided and would put more students at grave risk.
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