Weapon Possession in Public High Schools

• NCJ Number: 140358
• Journal: School Safety Dated: (Fall 1992) Pages: 28-30
• Author(s): K J Asmussen
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 3 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The results of a recent national survey suggest that weapon possession in public high schools is a pervasive problem.

Abstract

The survey investigated what percentage of public high school students carry weapons to school, reasons for and frequency of carrying weapons, whether the threat of violence in public high schools is real or perceived, and whether fear of violence hinders students' school activities during school hours. Study findings showed that 15.6 percent of all students had carried a weapon at school during the 1991-1992 school year. More than 6 percent of students carried a weapon to school on a regular basis. Tenth graders had the highest incident rate of weapon carrying, accounting for almost 50 percent of all weapon-carrying students. Nearly 25 percent of male students, compared with only 6.6 percent of female students, carried a weapon to school. The weapon carried most often was a knife, followed by a handgun, a club, and some other type of weapon. Although 9 percent of students said they carried a weapon for protection, 70 percent of these individuals also indicated they had not been approached at school by anyone with a weapon. Very few students carried a weapon for their friends or to gain status. While at school, students typically carried the weapon on their person, most often in a coat pocket or under their clothes. Of students who said they would report a weapon on campus to a staff person, more than one-third would opt to trust a specific teacher or counselor with this information. Yet, more than 50 percent of students would not tell at all because they did not want to get involved. When asked about handgun accessibility, nearly one-third answered that someone owned or kept a handgun where they lived. Fear of weapons at school interfered with the education of more than 9 percent of students. Overall, survey findings support previous research indicating that about 20 percent of high school students carry weapons to school.