title: Weapon Possession Among College Students: A Study From a Midwestern University.
abstract: Weapon possession on college campuses causes great concern, but there remains a lack of research examining the determinants of this phenomenon. Previous studies addressing weapon possession have primarily focused on either K-12 or the general adult population. Unlike previous studies, this study examined the weapon possession among college students using data collected from a mid-sized university in Missouri, and 451 students participated. Weapon possession and other theoretical factors were measured through the self-administered survey. Logistical regression analysis revealed that weapon socialization was the most significant factor in predicting student weapon carrying. Also, gender and age were significant factors in explaining campus-based weapon possession. This research has a limitation with generalizability because the data were collected from only a single university with convenient sampling. Future studies need to cover a wider range of college students from a variety of different universities with random sampling.
authors.affiliation: Kyonggi University, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunseok
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: University of Ulsan, South Korea jhkang@ulsan.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ji Hyon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dierenfeldt
authors.affiliation: Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, USA.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lindsteadt
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D005389:Firearms; D006801:Humans; D008923:Missouri; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: college campus; concealed weapon; deviant lifestyle; fear of victimization; weapon possession; weapon socialization