Abstract
Though still incredibly rare, college rampage shootings have increased since the turn of the century. A common reaction after an attack centers on the effectiveness of gun control and campus concealed carry policies. Several states ban guns on campus, though others leave the decision up to the individual college (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2015). Still others, such as Oregon, site of the most recent rampage shooting, fully allow concealed carry on campuses. Several studies have sought to identify similarities among college shooters, however few critically analyze concealed carry policies against shooting incidents. This study intended to fill that gap and address the intense debates at the federal, state, and college levels. The researcher investigated 8 campus rampage shootings since 2000 and identified several trends in the attacks as well as uncovered various personality, social trait, and mental health risk factors shared by the shooters. For example, all shooters in this study displayed symptoms of serious mental illness such as psychosis and paranoia. Concealed carry policies attempt to limit those with severe mental health histories from procuring firearms. However, this research found that though every shooter in this study exhibited signs of mental illness, all but one shooter bought a firearm legally on their own and the other got it from an acquaintance. This suggests that policy may not have as great an effect on preventing a rampage shooting incident as is touted in debates.