The problem is staff fear being involved in the next campus shooting, which has pushed campus safety experts to update safety policies and procedures. One of the policies being addressed is the option of allowing concealed carry on campus (CCOC). However, allowing CCOC makes some staff feel less safe. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to test the theory of protection and the cognitive appraisal theory that compared perceptions of safety of employees who worked at public colleges in the state of Tennessee that only allowed employees with a concealed carry permit to conceal carry versus public colleges in the state of Utah that allowed anyone with a concealed carry permit to conceal carry on campus. The two theoretical frameworks that explain how individuals perceive fear and how they respond to stressful situations are the cognitive appraisal theory and the protection motivation theory, respectively. The cognitive appraisal theory explains why an individual feels unsafe and the protection motivation theory depicts how individuals respond in an unsafe situation. This research addressed a gap in literature. There have been many studies about student perceptions of safety on campus; however, there has been very little research on employees' perceptions of safety on campus and specifically related to concealed carry. Understanding the perspectives of employees is vital, since the employees are the individuals who could be carrying a concealed carry gun on campus. The data showed that participants perceived feeling safer and less victimized on academic institutions in Utah, which allows anyone with a concealed carry license to CCOC. In this study, participants who worked on rural campuses perceived feeling safer and less victimized compared to participants who worked on urban campuses. The size of the academic institution and if the participant was either part-time or full-time had little effect on perception of safety. With the need to keep academic institutions a safe place, exploring the perceptions of safety on a campus that allows concealed carry guides other academic institutions to make decisions about their safety protocols and the effects their decision has on their institution as a whole. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]