EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS THAT MALES AND FEMALES HAVE TOWARDS CONCEALED CARRY ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the Division of Criminal Justice California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Criminal Justice by Stephen Goode SPRING 2019 © 2019 Stephen Goode ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS THAT MALES AND FEMALES HAVE TOWARDS CONCEALED CARRY ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS A Thesis by Stephen Goode Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Dr. Ryan M. Getty __________________________________, Second Reader Dr. Kim Schnurbush ____________________________ Date iii Student: Stephen Goode I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator _____________________ Yvette Farmer, Ph.D. Date Division of Criminal Justice iv Abstract of EXPLORING THE PERCEPTIONS OF MALES AND FEMALES TOWARDS CONCEALED CARRY ON A COLLEGE CAMPUSES by Stephen Goode Often the perceptions students have towards concealed carry differ in a variety of cases especially males’ and females’ opinions (Doubleday, 2013; Gius, 2018; Jang, Dierenfeldt, & Lee, 2014). Few studies have explored if one's gender had any significant effect on one’s perceptions of support for concealed carry policies on a college campus Doubleday, 2013; Gius, 2018; Jang, Dierenfeldt, & Lee, 2014. This quantitative study examined a small sample of California State University Sacramento criminal justice students and was conducted during the Spring 2019 semester. The results from the data did show a significant difference in variation between males’ and females’ perceptions towards concealed carry on a college campus. It is important to note that those significant variations should be examined and further analyzed. _______________________, Committee Chair Ryan M. Getty, Ph.D. _______________________ Date v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Throughout my academic career, it was quite the learning experience where I both expanded my academic understanding within the criminal justice field. I also made many lifelong friends along the way. I must first acknowledge my parents who allowed me to seek an education and further enhance my abilities to improve my quality of life. Furthermore, it was a blessing to show my parents that, I had the talent and perhaps even the skill to accomplish this adventure in such a brief manner. To all my friends, both academic and personal friends, you all always provided me with support and humor to make it. Many days I worked late into the night and often- missed hanging out with dear friends and loved ones (Kenny), but they all understood the reasons for my absences. Near the end of my studies, it soon became apparent to me that finally I perhaps achieved my end goal of obtaining a higher education, which was no easy task. I also hope to help those who helped me along my academic adventure and perhaps help future colleagues or friends who seek higher education. I extend my thanks to all the mentors and faculty along my educational journey, who provided me with insight and assistance in helping me excel academically. Throughout, the academic career I had the luck to encounter caring educators, who genuinely wanted the best for their students. Each semester was always a blast, even though there were hard times they were outweighed by the good. One teacher, in particular, I would like to thank is Professor Christine Morse Fitch, who always provided helpful insight and even encouraged me to seek higher education when I was a student of hers. vi Another Professor, I would like to thank personally is Dr. Ryan M. Getty, who also happens to be my thesis chair. Throughout my academic career, he always provided me with valuable insight and guidance for my thesis’s development. Lastly, Professor Getty was always a pleasure to have a fun academic conversation about a plethora of topics. Lastly, I would like to thank Ellice Ramm. She helped to provide me with more in-depth knowledge about statistics. She also explained to me why researchers apply specific methods and test when conducting research. Overall, my academic career was an adventure, in which I hope to one day repay the favor. Potentially, I hope to help future academics excel in their educational experiences. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. xii Chapter1 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................. 3 The Issue .......................................................................................................................... 4 The Research .................................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................ 5 Theory .............................................................................................................................. 6 Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 7 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 9 Chronological Time Line of Gun Laws in the U.S. ......................................................... 9 1900s-1960s. ...............................................................................................9 1970s-2000s. .............................................................................................10 How America Regulates Firearms ................................................................................. 12 Recent History of Firearms in the U.S. .......................................................................... 13 Gun Control and Crime .................................................................................................. 14 Media & Gun Crime ...................................................................................................... 16 Gun Levels vs. Levels of Crime .................................................................................... 17 Who Obtains Firearms and Why? .................................................................................. 19 Fear of Crime ................................................................................................................. 19 Proactive Firearms Enforcement .................................................................................... 20 viii Stop, Question, & Frisk ................................................................................................. 21 The Cost of Gun Violence ............................................................................................. 22 Mass Shootings .............................................................................................................. 23 High-risk Populations with Guns ................................................................................... 24 The Effectiveness of Firearm Policies ........................................................................... 25 Concealed Carry ............................................................................................................ 28 Types of Concealed Carry ............................................................................................. 28 Concealed Carry & Crime ............................................................................................. 29 Campus Concealed Carry .............................................................................................. 30 Theory ............................................................................................................................ 31 Routine Activity Theory ................................................................................................ 31 3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 33 Study Design .................................................................................................................. 34 Generalities / Overview ................................................................................................. 34 Instrument / Data Collection .......................................................................................... 35 Sample ........................................................................................................................... 39 Descriptive Information ................................................................................................. 41 Variables ........................................................................................................................ 42 Independent