<p>I live in a very stereotypical southern town. One of my classmates was told me that he has bought a gun rack to put in his truck to take to college with him (he’s going to Baylor btw not Oakland) so he can store guns in his truck no only so that he can hunt but also for protection should anything happen on campus. One of my other male classmates has a hunting knife that his parents want for him to take to college with him. A female classmate has a stun gun. I, personally, never considered bringing such things to college with me, but my father, who has lived his whole most of life in Chicago, said he wouldn’t mind buying me a switch blade for protection. </p>
<p>Would you do this for your child? Is it odd or normal for a college student to have a stun gun/gun/ or knife with them on campus.</p>
<p>To clarify. Both my s’s went to schools in cities and lived in areas when off campus that were not always the safest. No, never EVER had a weapon. And lest hope this doesn’t become another one of “those” threads.</p>
<p>@jym626
What do you mean by one of “those” threads?</p>
<p>If you mean not wanting this thread to become a pro-gun/anti-gun thread, then I agree with you. </p>
<p>But, I guess if you could think of a stereotypical American family, the type you might see on family matters or ABC, that’s my family. And when you think of a stereotypical southern town (everyone wears camo, bridal showers are at the gun range, hunting guns are Christmas presents, ect) that is the place I have been living for the past 6 years. When I questioned why those kids parents were giving them those things to take to college. My classmates responded with their usual “oh it’s the city girl talking again” eyeroll. But since my father said he’d be willing to buy me a switchblade, I am wondering if getting a something like a stun gun as a high school graduation gift is a “southern thing” or a “normal thing.”</p>
<p>Yes, newsie, thats what I mean. And I know of NO “stereotypical” family who has ever held a shower at a gun range or given a weapon for xmas. Buy yourself some pepper spray and take self defense classes.</p>
<p>You need to research what is allowed in your dorms, in your personal vehicles. At my daughter’s school, guns are allowed but must be stored with the campus police. Knives too. There are many hunters and the school accommodates them, but guns, knives, crossbows are not allow in the dorms, and I don’t think they are allowed to be stored in cars parked in university lots. Stun guns? I don’t think they are allowed. Switchblades are illegal in most states.</p>
<p>Unless you are accustomed to street fighting, you are much more likely to have a knife ripped out of your grasp and used against you than you are to use it to successfully defend your self. I imagine the same is true of a stun gun.</p>
<p>You would do much better to take a self-defense course, such as R.A.D., which is frequently offered on college campuses.</p>
<p>Most people would not be adept enough with any weapon to effectively defend themselves without being disarmed and used against them. One would do better to arm their kid with common sense and survival techniques.</p>
<p>No guns, no knives. It never even occurred to my daughter nor to me to bring them to college, nor do we have them at home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a traditionally mostly-black (but gentrifying and whitening) neighborhood (my daughter is Chinese-American and I am white).</p>
<p>OP, the websites of the colleges you applied to to see if weapons are allowed. Not allowed at most colleges and universities as far as I know. And I agree that there’s danger of a weapon grabbed from you and used against you.</p>
<p>Neither of my kids had any weapons on campus (other than their sharp tongue, legs and wits), and fortunately never had to use any other weapons nor had any used against them. They have both safely graduated and moving on with their lives.</p>
<p>No, not for any of my Ds. It would be an appalling suggestion to any of them, I can tell you. Very sad that students in some areas of the U.S. would even think of doing this.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s because we live in an area where guns are more the exception than the rule, but in checking with a bunch of college students from various schools who happen to be at our house right now, none of them has a gun/knife/ stun gun at school. They don’t think anything like that is allowed on their campuses, although I don’t think any of them has actually checked. Our son was given a stun gun by a relative for Xmas and we told him there is no way he is taking it back with him. I can just imagine a bunch of 19/20 year olds messing around and zapping each other, and zapping someone with a pacemaker! I really do think it’s better to remind college students to be aware of their surroundings, walk with other people, and use common sense. I agree with someone else who said that most people would not be adept enough at using a weapon to defend themselves to assure it wouldn’t be used against them. </p>