Most everyone remembers that horrific morning in 2007, when the Virginia Tech shootings occurred and took the nation by surprise. Since this event, campuses around the country have taken action on and off campus to add security and safety measures so these shootings will not happen again. But how has East Carolina University’s crime rate and gun control been since these shootings?
When comparing the gunshot crime rates of all of 13 off campus apartment complexes at East Carolina University, there is a common correlation between the distances they are off campus, to the rate of gunshots reported for most complexes. The farther a complex is located off campus, the higher the gunshot crime rate is, in most cases. This information comes from the Greenville Police Department’s database of reported police calls for service of these apartments and their crime coverage over the last four years.
When comparing the 13 off campus apartment complexes, The Bellamy and Pirate Place both have above a two percent crime rate when it comes to gun shot incidents. The Bellamy has had the highest rate, at 2.19 percent of crimes being reported for gunshots, which does not keep the residents at ease who live there.
Patrick Boone, a student who lives at The Bellamy, talked about a certain incident where he said, “I was watching television in my room, like a normal night, and all of a sudden I heard a gun shot. I went out to the living room and my roommates walked out saying they heard the same
The number of murders every year committed was about 512; some were either homicides or gang related. About 80 percent of the murders committed were done with an illegal firearm. Evidence conducted by Tracey Meares, from Yale, found the high crime areas, committing murders or possessing illegal firearms lived in indigent and isolated communities. Chicago’s Project Safe Neighborhoods developed small community programs to reach out to felons and offenders. Developing small programs for felons and offenders was a way for Law Enforcement to understand their attitude and outlook on gun violence or possessing a gun. For Law Enforcement they wanted to stress the consequences of possessing an illegal firearm and get an ex-offender to share with felons the importance of staying away from a life of crime. There is no other better way to get through to a felon than an ex-felon sharing his own tragic life experiences.
Gun control is a major topic in today’s society and it is broken into many subcategories that all have different arguments and views. A few examples are The Second Amendment is not an unlimited right to own guns, more gun control laws would reduce gun deaths and more gun control leads to fewer suicides in the United States. The gun control category I am focusing on in this essay is, should teachers and students be able to carry firearms on a college campus. I chose this since I am currently attending college and this could have an effect directly on me or ASU. The idea of teachers and staff being able to carry firearms on a college campus has come up many times in the media recently due to the rise in mass shootings. Many states are now looking at this problem and voting on it. This topic is always heavily debated due to the many different sides and varying beliefs on gun control and safety. The NRA (National Rifle Association) has a heavy influence on the united states and who should be allowed gun and what legislation is passed. The gun control topic of firearms on a college campus has become politicalized and is commonly drawn into political debates and has become a political tool for winning elections. Some states have already voted and taken action on this new idea and have allowed staff to carry guns on campuses and in cars parked and locked in secure parking lots. Another major idea that is constantly brought up with campus carry and firearms on campuses
Is campus carry truly effective in decreasing gun violence on campus? Or does it, instead, pose a threat to students and faculty? The campus carry law refers to the policies that allow appropriately licensed students and faculty to carry a handgun on campus as long as the gun is hidden from sight. Several states, including Texas, have passed concealed carry; as a result, polarizing debates have ensued over the effectiveness of the law. Shootings have been occurring at institutions of higher education since the early 20th century (Cobb 35). The first incident of campus shooting occurred at the University of Texas in 1966, by a student named Charles Whitman. Since then, there has been several other university shootings, and they have become more frequent within the last two decades. As a result of this, as well as other shooting incidents such as, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Oregon Mall, and Aurora movie theater, in recent years, the debate over allowing concealed carry on campus has gained a lot of momentum with very conflicting opinions. Proponents of concealed carry consider it to be the best answer to decrease the injuries and casualties of a gun related incident, while opponents consider allowing firearms on campus a threat to the safety of campus constituents. Agreeing with opponents of campus carry, I believe by allowing the concealed carry of firearms on campus, we are potentially compromising the safety of students and faculty, thus universities should push for
Title: The Influence of time of day on violent Crime activity in LeDroit Park, Washington, DC.
As students embark on the journey that is college many new obstacles are bound to come their way, but yet, safety and security should never be the reason for fear in a student. It is becoming more clear that college campus shootings can happen and Gary Pavela and James Alan Fox have outlined the reasons why previous shootings have caused problems within college administration in modern times. Due to research on capmus shootings college administration has increased their safety measures in the wrong ways. College campuses have hindered the well-being of students then and now because administrative teams are attempting to make safety their first priority, , but in turn actually enlisting fear into student’s minds.
He realize how important it is to know the psychological aspect of an individual, but felt the obligation to look at the fundamentals of social patterns. In 1977 he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
Students walk college campuses thinking of homework, friends, social happenings, but rarely thinking about their safety. Students on college campuses are defenseless against an armed assailant because an armed assailant can shoot and harm many students in a short time before the police arrive. There are opposing views about allowing concealed weapons on college campuses, and the debate has been making news lately with the number of school shootings and people getting killed and injured rising. According to Robert Birnbaum in The Magazine of Higher Learning, “More Guns advocates argue that college students and faculty should be able to carry weapons for their own protection, particularly since history has shown that colleges can’t protect them from assailants” (Birnbaum 7). For students to properly defend themselves against armed assailants, they should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.
The ability to carry concealed weapons onto college campuses has always been an area of contention. In 1990, Congress passed the Clery Act which created gun-free zones in primary and secondary schools. Around that same time many states passed laws prohibiting weapons on college campuses as well. (Lyons, 2017) In recent years there has been a stronger focus on college related shootings and deaths which has re-ignited the conversation regards concealed weapons on college campuses.
With the recent history of gun violence on college campuses, questions have been raised on how incidents like these can best be prevented. One proposed solution is allowing firearms to be carried on campuses. With many states passing the open carry law, the topic of guns on campus has become a major issue; however, there are many reasons to why allowing guns to be carried on campus would not help prevent situations like these. A college campus is a place where individuals of different maturity levels come to learn and develop. Research has shown that college students are not fully developed in regards to impulse and judgment, so allowing a student to be able to carry a gun would not be a logical choice. In addition, allowing guns on campus could lead to an increase in reckless shooting incidents, an increase in gun related crimes, and add to the difficulty to law enforcement personnel. A college campus needs to be a safe place for all. To ensure the safest environment for college students, guns should not be able to be carried on campus with the exception to law enforcement.
In reading the essay titled, “Guns Don’t Belong in the Hands of Administrators, Professors, or Students,” the author addresses the concern for safety on college campuses. The author Jesus M. Villahermosa Jr., who was a deputy sheriff for Pierce County Sheriff's Department for thirty-three years of dedicated service until he retired in 2014. Certifications include: being the first certified Master Defensive Tactics Instructor for law enforcement personnel in the state of Washington, serving as a Firearm's Instructor, and an Active Shooter Instructor. Villahermosa not only discusses important questions when considering the terms of firearms on campus, and in the hands of administration and faculty but offers his experience, while informing the reader, of the likeliness of more heightened danger due to inadequate training which could potentially lead to death and other repercussions for the person holding the firearm.
Today thousands of young students go to colleges and universities here in America. With so many young minds placed onto one campus with little to no parental supervision the question is asked: are college campuses a safe place? Yes, most college campuses across America are safe. A study prepared by “the campaign to keep guns off campus” shows that the crime rate for college is monumentally lower than the rate for the city where the campus is located. For example, in 2013 the city of Jacksonville Florida had 452 cases of forcible rape and 3,277 accounts of aggravated assaults. A staggering amount compared to 1 forcible rape and 6 counts of aggravated assaults at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. But what keeps students safe on
As a current student at Delgado Community College, I perceived that there are barely any campus police patrolling the perimeter, despite having a building within campus. This causes for concern due to recent school tragedies that have occurred just this year. Among the college related shootings in 2018, there were more than 10 high school shootings (Ahmed). The high school I attended in 2008, had a student count of less than 500 girls, and no security if any emergency were to transpire. It was a small campus consisted of two, old buildings that were easily accessed during school hours. If there was an active shooter, there would be nothing we could have done except to hide and pray no one gets hurt. If campuses have few security officers, or none, we expect our faculty and teachers to protect us. But, for them to protect students and other faculty, they need the proper equipment to do so. As Timothy Wheeler describes the words of Massad Ayoob, “The only solution is a prepared and brave defender with a proper lifesaving tool – a gun.” Teachers and faculty need to have access to a
Mass shootings have become easily accessible to college students and professors. Intruders who have no relation to the college are also now able to enter the campus without being questioned as to what their purpose for being there is. The idea of students walking around campus with the ability to brutally murder a schoolmate has caused fear to be struck into the college community. Not only has the campus carry law affected students on the campus, but it also affects the community that surrounds the college. The community has grown nervous because they feel as if the outward impact of allowing guns near their homes will be severe. It places young children in danger of the unexpected. The openness of the community has granted many who want to cause emotional damage access to tearing apart families. The rate of gun violence is steadily increasing as the campus carry law becomes more
Variable selection within this research project was very challenging as there are many factors that affect crime rate. The dependent variable will be crime rate per 100,000 population. The independent variables are the issuance of concealed weapons permits and police methodology (number of police officers and proactive arrests). This study will examine the crime rates since 1960 to 2014 in the state of Florida. It is important to note that concealed weapons were legally allowed (with license) in 1987. To measure the impact of concealed weapons in relation to crime rate, it is pivotal that the crime rate prior to 1987 is evaluated. Also an analysis of the percentage of the population who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon will be examined to determine if it
“Colleges and universities occupy a special place in American society. They are much more than a series of buildings and collection of individuals. Instead, they are dynamic living and learning environments where individuals with varying levels of maturity interact, often under stressful circumstances. While recognizing the right of responsible individuals to possess firearms under other circumstances, the unique characteristics of a university campus make the presence of firearms problematic. The shootings that have occurred in recent years at US colleges and universities have generated passionate debate about how best to prevent such violence and whether persons should be allowed to carry concealed guns on campuses. Experts believe there is no credible evidence that students or staff carrying guns would reduce crime. In fact, research has shown that the brains of most college students have not fully developed regarding impulse control and judgment” (Dickerson). Therefore, guns should not be allowed on college campuses because it would lead to an escalation in violent crime, distract from the learning environment, and lead to accidental discharge incidents.