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Gun violence - whether rampage shootings, homicides or suicides - is a potential reality all campuses have to face. This book provides leaders in higher education - and particularly those in student affairs - with data about past incidents, an analysis of trends, and background on the national debate about gun policies and how they impact colleges, state by state. It importantly raises issues about student psychological development, mental health, and the prevalence of alcohol and substance abuse on campus, to better inform discussion about allowing guns on campus and concealed carry. It concludes by sharing strategies for averting gun-related tragedies, and offering models for responding when they occur, based on lessons learned and best practices. The book addresses concealed carry legislation and its impact on campus policies by state, examining the concerns of administrators as they discharge their duty of care to students and comply with legal and regulatory frameworks. Asking "Are our students developmentally ready to make a morally sophisticated, life-changing decision to use firearms in response to a real or perceived threat?", it offers important perspectives and scientific data, so far absent from the debate, to shape the ongoing conversation with lawmakers and the public about what it takes to keep college communities safe. In addressing risk and prevention, contributors cover the relationship between violence and mental health, and the need to establish comprehensive strategic plans and a preventative framework that promotes help-seeking for those in need before they reach the point of crisis, as well as a campus-wide risk assessment team, stressing the importance of cultivating a community-wide approach to campus safety by empowering members to report suspicious behavior. They also offer guidance on improving effective behavior intervention and case management processes. The book concludes by outlining best practices, and providing guidance on developing an emergency plan, practicing and testing systems, and creating a robust communications strategy. Individual chapters focus on how small colleges with limited resources can develop effective plans into by partnering with local agencies; as well as on the steps that community colleges - who generally lack resident advisors and residential staff, and whose students are far more dispersed - can take to diminish risk and respond promptly and professionally to a crisis. This is an essential guide for all higher education leaders concerned about preventing violence on our campuses, and a call to action.

The new edition of this classic text covers the latest developments in American gun policy including the most recent shooting incidents that persist in plaguing the American landscape. Continuing a multi-decade trend, crime generally remains low throughout the US, but mass shootings have increased in both number and lethality, stoking greater support for gun laws among the public. Two seismic political events are highlighted in the eighth edition. The first is the ascendance of the gun safety movement, culminating in numerous electoral victories for gun law supporters in 2018 congressional and state races around the country. This outcome, which contributed to the Democrats' capture of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2008, also demonstrates that support for stronger gun laws could be a winning issue for proponents in 2020 and beyond. The second political development featured is the financial, political, and legal crises that beset the nation's oldest and most powerful gun group, the National Rifle Association. These crises are sufficiently grave that they may pose an existential threat to the organization's traditional dominance in the realm of gun politics. Author Robert J. Spitzer has long been a recognized authority on gun control and gun policy. His even-handed treatment of the issue--as both a member of the NRA and the Brady Center--continues to compel national and international interest, including appearances on major media such as the PBS NewsHour. The eighth edition of The Politics of Gun Control provides the reader with up-to-date data and coverage of gun ownership, gun deaths, school shootings, border patrols and new topics including universal background checks, limits on large capacity ammunition magazines, and "red flag" laws. New to the Eighth Edition Covers the ascendance of the Second Amendment sanctuary and gun safety movements, resulting from heinous shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida. Tracks the financial, political, and legal crises that threaten the dominance of the National Rifle Association. Examines new policy measures including universal background checks, limits on large capacity ammunition magazines, the bump stock controversy, and "red flag" laws, among others.

This book serves as a sourcebook to enhance and evaluate safety programs, generate new solutions and interventions, comply with new legislation, and present practical steps and guidelines to establish best practices. It pays particular attention to the factors that may give rise to crime, considering high-risk drinking and examining the intersection between hate crimes and violence. Devoting chapters to discrimination in all its forms, whether against international students, students of color, or on the basis of ethnicity or sexual orientation, it reviews the range of issues relating to harassment and violence against women and engages with hazing and the presence of guns on campus. The authors pay attention to the different circumstances that may apply in specific institutional types, such as community colleges and minority-serving institutions. They offer perspectives from administrators, campus security, student affairs personnel, faculty and policy makers. The purpose is to provide readers with the context and tools to devise a comprehensive safety plan. For administrators operating with few formal support systems, advice is given on how to co-opt individuals and resources from around the campus and the local community to assist in maintaining a safe and welcoming campus. Click herefor press release.

With the growth of threats and violence in higher education settings, college campuses are increasingly expected to have systems in place to identify potentially aggressive individuals and intervene to ensure the safety of the campus population. This book will be useful for student affairs professionals as well as college counselors, psychologists, social workers interested in the practical management of aggression and violence on a college campus. It will also be a valuable resource for those involved in creating and running behavioral intervention teams and threat/risk assessment teams. Ten case studies from both the community and residential college settings provide a comprehensive overview of campus violence and how to intervene to prevent it. Pertinent background information is discussed as an introduction to these narratives, such as the fundamentals of aggression and violence on campuses; how these behaviors can impact students, faculty, and staff; and what can be learned from past campus violence. Along with discussion questions and a review of ways to approach each situation, experts in higher education, forensic risk assessment, law enforcement, and legal issues weigh in on each case study. Their perspectives offer a context and broad base of opinions and ideas on how each case could be handled. Additional examples for further training of the college counselor are given through a detailed look at almost 100 incidents of violence, including thwarted attacks, rampage shootings, and hostage situations.