The college age years — 18-24 — are the peak years for engaging in gun crimes, abusing drugs and alcohol, attempting suicide, and having other mental health problems. A binge-drinking, drug-using student is dangerous enough; let's not give him or her a gun.

Reason #1: Drugs and Alcohol

• Nearly half of America's full-time college students abuse drugs or binge drink at least once a month. For college gun owners, the rate of binge-drinking is even higher — two-thirds.
• Plus, college gun owners are more likely than the average student to:
  • Engage in binge drinking,
  • Need an alcoholic drink first thing in the morning,
  • Use cocaine or crack,
  • Be arrested for a DUI,
  • Vandalize property, and
  • Get in trouble with police.

Reason #2. Suicide and Mental Health Issues

• About 1,100 college students commit suicide every year, and another 24,000 attempt to do so, according to a 2006 newspaper report (M. Cintron, "College Campuses Grapple with Escalating Suicide Rates," Near West Gazette, October 2006).
• If a gun is used in a suicide attempt, more than 90% of the time it is fatal, compared to a 3% fatality rate for suicide attempts by drug overdose.
• How many more suicide fatalities will we see on college campuses if guns become widely available?

• Guns stolen from homes and cars fuel crime. College dorm rooms, by comparison, would be even easier targets for gun thieves.

Reason #4. Do We Really Want Guns in K-12 Classrooms?

• Even trained police officers, on average, hit their intended targets less than 20% of the time.
• Arming teachers would likely make them the first targets in an attack, and could encourage attackers to increase their firepower or wear body armor.
• More than 2,000 K-12 students are expelled each year for carrying guns to school. Do we really want armed teachers confronting them? What if a teacher shoots a student?