This quantitative, exploratory study examined perceptions of preparedness among entry-level student affairs professionals for an active shooter event (ASE) on campus. Institutions of higher education (IHE) have experienced an uptick of deadly and destructive ASEs in the last two decades. Colleges and universities vary on whether they provide…

Colleges are charged with providing safe and secure campus environments, which are conducive to learning for all students. It is the duty of the college leadership to ensure that their campuses are not only visually appealing, but also that they ensure the safety of all. Recent events have shown that efforts to protect our campuses and…

Lead poisoning from ingestion of bullet fragments in gut piles and unretrieved deer carcasses continues to cause mortality in bald eagles. To address this issue, the Midwest region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) initiated an outreach program during 2016-2018 encouraging hunters to voluntarily use nonlead ammunition while deer…

An ultimate goal of American universities is to provide a safe and secure environment for all who attend and operate there, but what safety looks and feels like to the individual can vary to a great degree. There are many factors that campus safety departments consider when designing their campus safety policies and regulations. One way…

School shooting is an important topic in society today. School safety measures are defined as schools and school-related activities where students are safe from violence, bullying, harassment, and substance abuse. Studies shows how different forms of violence in childhood contribute to inequalities in education--for both boys and girls and that an…

This exploratory descriptive research study examined elementary school staff perceptions of ALICE active shooter response training and how participating in the training impacted staff perceptions of their own preparedness and their perceptions of their school's level of safety. This study also examined elementary staff experiences of ALICE…

The 2017 Georgia House Bill 280 states that, with limited exceptions, a properly licensed handgun owner can Concealed Carry on Georgia's public college and university campuses. Since its inception and because of the recent history of mass shootings, much controversy surrounds this law. The infancy of and controversy behind this law calls for…

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, changed law enforcement policy and practice forever. At a glance, one could argue that this was the seminal moment in U.S. law enforcement history where traditional police officer training and equipment quickly transitioned to training and equipment that some argue is more conducive to soldiers on a…

The gun embodiment effect is the consequence caused by wielding a gun on judgments of whether others are also holding a gun. This effect could be responsible for real-world instances when police officers shoot an unarmed person because of the misperception that the person had a gun. The gun embodiment effect is an instance of embodied cognition…

Little is known about how a college mass shooting affects faculty and staff survivors. The purpose of this study was to better understand how the experience of a college mass shooting affected the lives of faculty and staff involved in the incident. This study examined, in-depth, the personal accounts of six college staff and faculty who had…

In July 2014, the State of Idaho Legislature, after several failed attempts in earlier years, successfully passed Idaho Senate Bill 1254 which allowed for the possession of weapons on Idaho public college campuses by individuals with enhanced concealed carry permits. The Idaho State of Board of Education and the boards of trustees from each of the…

The purpose of this study was too explore the growing dilemma of school shootings and if the placement of armed staff members was the best approach in providing a safe environment for students and faculty alike, while still being beneficial to education. This study looks into school districts across the country of many different sizes. Different…

As secondary social studies education in the United States moves toward inquiry and constructivist models of teaching, much of the history that is taught is stuck in a fairly rigid narrative. This narrative has been written and refined by historians and high school textbook writers until the canon is homogenous across the United States (Brinkley…

The problem addressed by this study is how violence in the school affects school safety teams' perceptions of safety. School safety teams are often made up of a principal, counselor, school resource officer and a teacher, in an effort to address safety issues in the school. Studies show that students tend to report unsafe behaviors in school the…

This prospective study examined the effects of early childhood physical aggression and violence exposure on bullying victimization/perpetration and attitudes toward guns and violence in early adolescence (EA) in a high-risk sample. Participants included 216 mother-child dyads from an ongoing longitudinal study using multi-method assessments (e.g.,…