Too many guns on too many campuses

A spike in shooting incidents these past five years

Ayear ago today, Christopher Harper-Mercer entered Umpqua Community College, where he was enrolled, and methodically shot and killed nine people, wounding another nine before shooting himself. He was frighteningly well armed, carrying five pistols and an assault rifle.

The Umpqua shooting was not an isolated — or even unusual — incident. Over just the last five school years, there were 208 casualties as a result of 101 shootings at or near U.S. college campuses.

As high school students and their parents tour college campuses and towns, most families will not consider a factor that is increasingly likely to affect their child’s education: gun violence.

They should, because it is sadly now appropriate to describe college shootings as an epidemic. The Citizens Crime Commission, which I lead, recently compiled a list of shooting incidents on or near U.S. college campuses between the 2001-02 and 2015-16 school years.

The findings were striking. Since the fall of 2001, we identified 190 shooting incidents on or near more than 140 college campuses. Our report also found that there were two and a half times as many college shootings and more than three times as many casualties over the last five school years (2011-12 to 2015-16) than there were over the five school years from (2001-02 to 2005-06).

Perhaps more concerning is that there were likely even more shootings and casualties at colleges during the last 15 years than were reported. Because of flaws in federal law, many fall through the cracks, or are reported without important details.

To be clear, not all of these shootings are indiscriminate massshooting rampages. Many stem from disagreements between students and individuals not associated with the college that end in gunfire. But all share an important, often fatal element: an individual possessing a firearm on or near a college campus, often legally.

In fact, in states where guns are most readily accessible, college students are much more likely to be exposed to gun violence. Just 12 states accounted for 64% of the 190 shooting incidents we recorded — and those 12 states have 44% of all federally licensed firearm dealers in the country. Further, the majority of these states are missing key policies that limit the availability of guns.

In light of these findings, policymakers must take immediate, important steps toward protecting students from gun violence at college. Here’s how:

First, we must require better reporting and maintain a comprehensive database of these incidents to better understand the problem. Under the federal Clery Act of 1990, colleges participating in federal financial aid programs are required to track and report certain crimes occurring on or near their campuses. But colleges are not required to adequately report the details of cases involving firearms, and in some instances are not required to report them at all.

Second, we must recognize that lax gun laws contribute to exposure to gun violence at college. Requiring all firearm owners to be licensed and receive safety training, establishing universal background checks, implementing strict “may issue” carry permit policies and restricting sales of multiple guns at once in all states are the most obvious and common-sense reforms to make.

Finally, U.S. News & World Report and other college-raters should include public safety rankings in their results, including shootings, to better educate parents and students. Many prospective students and their families are likely not aware of the magnitude of the problem or the effects of gun violence on learning.

When it comes to fighting the epidemic of gun violence on campus, there’s no reason we can’t learn from the facts in front of us and do better — just as we expect our children to at their colleges.