Student Weapon Possession and the

Author: Wilcox, Pamela / May, David C. / Roberts, Staci D.
Publication: Justice Quarterly
Topics: Gun Carrying State Students
Keywords: American FEAR of crime FIREARMS owners Kentucky Schools VICTIMS of crimes
Bibliographic information +

Data from the Rural Substance Abuse and Violence Project, a study designed to examine individual and contextual factors that affect substance use, victimization, and offending among middle and high school students in Kentucky, was collected from nearly 4,000 students across 113 public schools. Overall, there was little support for the idea that fear and victimization increase weapon carrying. There was strong and consistent support for the effects of weapon carrying on subsequent fear, risk, victimization, and offending. Both gun carrying and non-gun weapon carrying in the 8th grade increased fear of school crime, perceived risk, and actual victimization in the 9th grade.