全球智库信息集成服务系统

This brief is one of a two-part series resulting from our research on campus carry legislation in Kansas. We spoke with college and university officials in Kansas to gather their perspectives on the impact of laws allowing guns on campuses and universities’ responses to these laws as they navigated a complex and multilayered implementation structure governed by the new state law. Findings from interviews indicate that university officials faced challenges in prioritizing the campus community’s wellbeing while working with limited resources as they created university-specific policies. Higher education officials also highlighted the benefits of collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the campus was well-informed of the policy and that officials addressed faculty, staff, and student concerns about safety. The findings point to key policy recommendations for university officials to consider during the planning and implementation process for state laws allowing guns on campus, including collaboration with other public higher education institutions and legal professionals when developing policies, allowing ample time for planning and preparation, and using lead time to develop strategies for addressing stakeholders’ anxieties and concerns.