No parent, student, employee or visitor should ever fear walking the halls and grounds of a college or university campus. Over the past two decades, this country has witnessed many tragic mass shootings, which resulted in multiple deaths and countless injuries. One of the deadliest on record occurred April 16, 2007, at Virginia Tech. Today, administrators are under extreme pressure (and scrutiny) to provide the best for students seeking a higher degree of knowledge. However, these administrators are faced with another dilemma: campus safety. Attending college is a joyous and momentous time for a student. They have reached the point of their lives where the decisions made today will affect the decisions they make tomorrow. The job of higher education is ensuring students are giving the tools necessary to fulfill their destiny. That very same job also requires institutions to safeguard the fundamental objectives of college, which focus on the freedom to express oneself in a manner that is constructive and builds upon a base of knowledge that is innovative and creative for their future and the future of their community. But those objectives have now become strained or obscured to the point open discussion or freedom to express may be jeopardized, all at the cost of maintaining safety. Since that tragic day in 2007, gun right's advocates have pushed for more protection. Many of these advocates feel the best protection when attending college is self-protection. Nearly a dozen states now afford students and staff the right to carry concealed handguns on campus. What that means is an increase in guns in small confined areas. Knowledge of that is causing concern among students and staff. Thus, we now have colleges and universities making policy and procedures that not only work to maintain a safe and secure learning environment, but also ensuring the rights of the gun owner observing their Second Amendment Right is preserved. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]